The Stark Spectaculaire
by EverFascinated
Summary: Tony Stark, ringleader and creator of the Stark Spectaculair - a top notch traveling circus in the steam powered year of eighteen sixty-eight, has many strange employees, but one in particular has sparked his interest: a European magician hounded by strange rumors. Loki Liesmith provides quite a distraction even as the shadows of Tony's past come creeping back for a second round.
1. Welcome to the Stark Spectaculaire

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or even the idea that this came from.

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The Stark Spectaculaire

_Chapter 1: Welcome to the Stark Spectaculaire_

* * *

Tony knew he should be helping the others set up for the show that night. Pepper had been threatening to make him stand in for one of the knife throwers as the target tonight if he didn't, but he couldn't look away from one of their newest acts. Well, if three to four months now counted as 'new'. Thick rugs covered the rocky fairgrounds under his feet as the magician moved around his numerous stage props, a rather large sword still clutched in his hand.

A sword that had very recently been completely down his throat.

Well, Tony had never really been much of a help when setting up the equipment anyway.

Not even acknowledging his employer, Loki set the sword down on the table - the final piece now in place for his show that night. The watcher's eyebrows raised as a thin dagger appeared in a long fingered hand between one blink and the next.

"May I be of assistance, _Monsieur_ _Loyal?"_ the magician's head tilted slightly in Tony's direction as he played with the knife in one hand, the other still flat on the table in front of him.

Tony straightened his vest as he straightened and took a step towards the dark haired man. "Finished practicing already? I'd be more than happy to help you with it if you need a little more variety in your sword swallowing act..."

"I have finished all the practice I have need for today, _Monsieur_ Stark." Loki turned a little more towards the ringmaster, eyes never leaving the shorter man's face as another dagger joined the first in a dance between both of his hands now, each moving hypnotically and flashing in the sunlight.

"I thought you might like some practice, however," Loki continued, and Tony's eyes widened ever so slightly behind his tinted lenses as one of those knives flew just past his ear. "I am well aware of what faces you if you avoid assisting Madam Potts."

Tony turned towards where the knife had flown, keeping the magician in the corner of his eye, and found it embedded in the post he had been leaning on earlier. It wasn't really damaging the post, it was one of the large poles that all fairgrounds had so as to help the less fortunate traveling caravans set up, and the knife was only about half way through it even though it had sunk in to the hilt. He frowned slightly as he examined it, distantly noting that more of the same had appeared with Loki. It looked familiar...

"I'm sure that Miss Potts will get along marvelously without my help. She's never needed it before." He looked back at Loki and gestured to both the knife set currently fluttering around his hands and the one behind him. "Aren't those Clint's?"

Turning fully towards the interloper and casually leaning back on his table, Loki continued his juggling. At least four of the thin black and purple daggers were in the air at any moment, the sharp blades coming close to cutting his unadorned face and arms before dancing harmlessly in his fingers and taking to the sky once again.

"Are they? I am never certain where the things I conjure come from." The mischievous glint in his green eyes and the seductive smirk ghosting across his lips told Tony otherwise.

"Uh huh, the fact that he's never forgiven you for hypnotizing him that one time and making him act like a bird for the rest of the night has nothing to do with it." Tony gave him a flat look over his signature shaded spectacles (they almost never left his face - even when he was involved in more... _physical_ activities. Activities he wouldn't mind if Loki joined him in, provided that his elder brother Thor, the circus' resident strongman, wasn't informed) as he reached up and grabbed the knife next to him for closer inspection.

"I would never stoop to such levels," Loki admonished, looking a little insulted that the ringleader would even think the theft possible. From the sound of it, butter wouldn't melt in the magician's mouth.

'Though,' Tony's mind whispered lecherously, 'I've seen some other feats he's performed with that mouth. Maybe I should get a private performance to ascertain just how skilled he really is.' Tony shook himself back into the conversation and away from his rather detailed imaginings as Loki continued.

"He is simply easily suggestible. I cannot be expected to take that into account when his _partner_ is so very strong-willed. Lady Romanova has set high standards that he simply could not live up to," Loki explained again, shrugging as the knives took up a new and even more convoluted track. Tony's grip on the dagger slackened as he held that hypnotizing green eyed gaze. He jumped slightly, only just keeping his fingers free from harm as it flew back into the magician's hands to join its brethren. The ringmaster nodded almost understandingly even as he looked away, inspecting his hand for damage.

"So it _wasn't_ because he threw one of those at you in the middle of your disappearing act the night before or anything. Wonderful to finally have that cleared up." Deciding that the blade hadn't hurt him (he _thought_ he knew where most of those scars and burns had come from, at least, and that's all that really mattered) Tony looked back up into what he was more than willing to classify as a come-hither look. Tony was always optimistic when it came to attraction in any way shape or form.

Just as he was about to take that invitation and step forward, those green eyes slid to his right. After a moment he allowed his to follow and nearly took a step back as he recognized a shock of red hair.

"It's nice to know at least a few people here have the sense to keep personal vendettas from ruining the show." Natasha's perfectly raised brow and significant glance at the knives proved that she knew otherwise. The wicked grin Loki gave her in return let Tony know she wasn't fooling anyone, but then, she probably wasn't trying to.

The magician gave a careful bow when she held out her hand meaningfully and he caught the knives effortlessly. He soon had a dagger between each finger, handles in his palms and blades fanned out before him theatrically. Giving a larger bow to the woman, he uncurled his fingers and offered the hilts to her with a smile. Reaching forward to retrieve them, she somehow gave the impression of rolling her eyes while still being too classy to actually do it. Tony watched as Natasha completed their trade in professions, the knives seeming to vanish as she stowed them in her tight black catsuit.

Tony's mind automatically went to work trying to divine where the knives even went as he gave the Black Widow his customary leer. The day he didn't take a few seconds to appreciate a good view would be the day he dies, if even then. Unimpressed with his attitude as ever, the redhead turned that raised brow in his direction.

"Should I not only tell Pepper that you've volunteered to help both us with our act _and_ her set up, but also inform Thor that you are pestering his brother incessantly?" The mechanic winced at Loki's reminder.

"I have no doubt that if he didn't want me here I would've been vanished faster than those knives. It's you women that I live in fear of." Tony didn't even glance over at Loki as he responded and it was only after Natasha walked away with a curt nod and nearly hidden smile that he looked back. But by then it was already too late. Loki's playful demeanor had already vanished behind his usual blank mask as he packed everything back up in preparation for its move to the big top later that night. The shorter man hid a sigh.

They both knew that it was her way of chastising not only Tony for trying to skip out on work, but also to punish Loki for the theft of her partner's second favorite weapons by reminding him of the brother that had doggedly followed him across the Atlantic. Even though they both knew it was meant to hurt, it didn't make the tactic any less effective.

The ringmaster watched the other pack up his tools in silence, lost in thought as his eyes wandered happily over the other man's dark leather pants, before he caught himself. He then remembered that he didn't care what anyone but Loki thought of this and, as he hadn't complained earlier, continued. It wasn't long before Tony was once again lost in his imaginings, but he managed to pull himself out of it before the last of the magician's wares were set in place.

"Need any help bringing that over? It seems that I'll be heading in that direction if I don't want to become a pincushion in the near future." The question was genuine even if the ringleader sounded a bit rueful at the end. Tony flashed a quick grin as he stepped up next to the dark clothed man. Impassive green eyes slid over to him and measured the statement for a moment.

Never one to wait for permission, Tony reached out and snagged the handle of the case and made to lift it. One of those dexterous hands wrapped around his wrist and stopped him; its success was due more to the fact that Loki wasn't one to touch _anyone_ rather than the strong grip it maintained. Brown eyes flashed from the case to the hand, and then up into sharp green before Tony turned his head to more fully meet the other's gaze. Another heartbeat of staring before the mask dropped once again and Loki's lips twisted in to a smile.

The taller man leaned in ever so slightly. "Please, by all means, be my guest."

Tony had just enough time to look down at that teasing smirk (so close) before Loki was backing off again, releasing his hand and moving towards the back of his personal cart. Still standing with his hand on the case, Tony was torn between kissing him and cursing him. He was leaning towards the former, especially when the other man started undoing his shirt to change for his act before closing the door to his wagon completely. Tony stared at the mechanical cart's door for a long moment afterward.

"Damn." Tony's mind went into overdrive trying to integrate that new image in to as many fantasies as possible, shoving all other thoughts to the side in the process.

"Sir, Miss Potts will likely be informed of your location by Miss Romanova shortly. Might I suggest you try to find her first?" Blinking himself back to reality, Tony sent a mildly annoyed glance towards his cufflinks.

"Thanks for the input, JARVIS. I'll get right on that." Sarcasm never worked on his AI, but that didn't stop the creator from using it. 'Why did I integrate him into all of my suits again?'

"My pleasure to be of service. Will you need assistance with Mister Liesmith's luggage?"

"No, I think I can handle one ca-" His eye roll came to an abrupt stop as he tugged at the handle of the large black case, barely moving it. Eyes narrowing, he gave it another experimental tug and frowned as he thought back to what the magician had said. Translation from Loki to English: I would like to see you try. 'Well, then... Challenge accepted.'

"As a matter of fact I would like assistance. Get Dummy out here."

"Of course, Sir." There was a hiss of steam in the distance and Tony waited impatiently as the sound of mechanized steps grew closer. Dummy walked into view a few moments later, the brass and steel robot easily navigating the terrain with its six legs, before coming to a stop next to its creator with another hiss of steam.

"Hey, not the face!" Tony waved the steam away before shaking a finger in the construct's direction. "You know better. Don't make me donate you to that museum that keeps asking for you. Here," he gave a large heave and managed to drag the case off the table on to his machine's back. "Take this and follow me."

Dummy seemed to struggle for a moment before equalizing the weight on his back and following after Tony who was already striding away.

Green eyes lingered on the departing figure as Loki straightened his black tie. His small smile turned mischievous as he twisted a ring on his thumb and then chuckled softly when the spider-like creation lurched to the side as if trying to catch the case as it shifted unexpectedly. It regained its footing just in time for Tony turn around and start in on it for being so slow. Loki's smile widened. "This should be interesting."

* * *

"Tony! Oh thank goodness," a relieved voice called to him out of the darkness. He blinked a few more times trying to get his eyes to adjust faster to the lighting difference as he walked further inside the big top. Tony finally just reached up and hit a button on the side of his spectacles after he nearly ran in to a third person while waiting for his eyes to make the change. The glass panes lit up, showing a faint outline around everything before fading as his eyes finally caught up. He put on his best grin and made his way over to his leading lady.

"Pepper, darling!" He made to hug her and was avoided easily; he continued unperturbed, "How has life been treating you? Still married to that big lug?" Tony's face turned serious and he looked over his spectacles to meet her eyes. "He does anything to you and you just let me know." The redhead gave an exasperated sigh but couldn't keep the smile off her face as she shook her head.

"Really now, Tony. This isn't the time, one of the carts isn't opening properly and we think there might be a jam-" Clapping her on the shoulder as he stepped around her, he cut off the end of her sentence as he addressed the large leader of his caravan who was looking at the mechanized cart in question.

"Happy! You heard what I said, right?" Harold made a noncommittal noise as he unscrewed another panel. "Well, it goes double for you as well. I know how hard Pepper can hit sometimes and domestic violence isn't as simple as a man hitting a woman. Let me know if I have to talk to her. I may be your boss but you're my friend first, rather than just an employee."

Happy Hogan set the panel down and looked up at his boss with a tired smile, the shorter man still rubbing at his shoulder where Happy's wife had hit him for his comments. "You never let us forget, Tony. Now get down here and help me and - for God's sake! I thought you were never going to let him in here after the last time!" Tony looked back over his shoulder at Dummy, only just remembering that the machine was there.

"Oh, yeah. Go put that over in the corner - no dropping it! Then go straight home." Dummy made some high pitched squeaks and beeps while moving a few of his legs back and forth. Turning to face the mech fully, Tony frowned and put his hands on his hips as if he were chiding an unruly child, which might have been more accurate than it would seem at first.

"No, we've been over this. If you can't play nice with the rest of them, you're going to have to stay in the lab. Don't think we don't remember the last time!" He cut off another series of noises. "Nope. Put it down nicely, then _straight home_!"

With a whistle-hiss that almost sounded like a sigh, Dummy walked over to the designated spot, methodically lowered its body to the ground, and pushed the case off of its back with a now free, double jointed limb. After insuring that it was securely on the ground the mech picked itself back up with another hiss of steam and turned almost hopefully to its creator. A pointed finger and a raised brow met its optics and it sat lower on its pneumatic cylinders as it made its way out and back to the lab.

Tony watched it go before bringing his hand in closer to his face. "JARVIS, make sure it doesn't get distracted. You know how he gets sometimes."

"Of course, Sir. I'll keep an eye on his location," came the quick reply.

"Thanks. Now." That taken care of, he turned back to Happy who was taking out the loose gears and wires from the metal wagon that may have caused the jam. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing to my baby? Did you even take her out to dinner first? No really. Move out of the way."

"You do remember that I've been helping you fix and _make_ these since we started on the road four years ago, right?" Happy wasn't overly surprised at Tony's reaction, quickly moving out of the way to let the other take his place.

The ringleader was already rolling his white shirt sleeves up and out of the way before connecting the high tech cufflinks to his glasses, his answer more than a little distracted as he got a good look at the machine. "Yeah, yeah. Now, shush. Let Daddy work." And then he was head and elbows deep into it – lost in his own little world of mechanics and steam.

Pepper wasn't shocked by her boss' focus and enthusiasm in the least, but the other cart was supposed to be the priority here. "But what about the last 'Quarter Cart' that isn't opening properly? The seating always has to be put up first, without it this won't-" Her husband just pulled her away from the busy man, who was in no position to hear her, and towards the other cart.

"The Quart' only needs a bit of oil, love. This one is the problem child tonight. Let him work, I'll get the other."

"Alright, if you're sure." Pepper allowed herself to be pulled away with only a glance back at the other man, now half buried in machinery. She still had to make sure all of the vendors were finding their stalls properly anyway. Neatening herself up and smoothing her hair into place, she moved easily out of the cleared space inside the large canvas tent and into the small crowd that had begun queuing up outside.

Tony worked on, throwing cogs, demanding wrenches which may or may not have been supplied depending on who was walking by – he was convinced that the Hawk threw at least one at him – and bending springs to make the cart's main cannon work again. 'No way can it be used if there's the slightest margin of err-'

A gonging noise made him jump just enough to smack his funny bone in a decidedly un-funny manner and he cursed loudly as he pulled himself out of the wagon to look at the offender. Rhodey's smile looked a bit guilty but the chuckles proved that he wasn't really sorry about it. Tony made a swipe at his buddy's ankles that was easily dodged.

"You think you'll have this fixed up for tonight or will I be joining Cap's clown act instead?" the human cannonball asked as he leaned casually on the machine he was propelled from most nights, giving neither option any preference.

"Don't think you're fooling me with that act, buddy." Tony gestured with the wrench in his hand, looking unconvinced that anyone could possibly have as much fun entertaining and hanging out with kids as they could flying through the air. "You just want to know if you can go hang out with your boyfriend and do each other's hair and makeup."

The flat, I-would-be-frowning-but-I-won't-give-you-the-satisfaction look he got in return was totally worth the hit his bone had taken before. He turned back to the machine and gave it another look, only half paying attention to what JARVIS was scrolling across his screen (it was only detailing what he could see for himself, more of a reminder really). There was one thing he needed a little bit more accuracy on, "JARVIS, total completion time _with_ sufficient testing."

"Approximately two hours and forty-seven minutes, providing there aren't further delays or breaks, Sir. You should be finished by three forty-three this afternoon."

"You heard him, we'll know by quarter to four if this lovely will be ready for your date tonight. I expect you to be on time and bring a nice corsage, none of that cheap carnation stuff." He glanced over at his oldest friend one last time before moving to start working again. "But if you wanna hang out with your new best friend and those kids until then, I'm sure she won't mind."

"Oh, please. Tony, you'll always be my best friend. Not your big head from college nor Stane's lies could pry me away. Cap's a great guy, but he's really looking for his friends so he doesn't even come close." Rhodey realized he'd lost his friend to the machine again and shook his head. "I'll go play with the kids for a bit then and I'll see you at a quarter till." He gave his friend a light shove in the back with his knee as he walked past and got another wild swipe that went wide in return.

"Just try not to get sick, will ya? And make Cap wash his hands! Half of us got sick last time from him and his sneezing!"

About two hours later, Tony was just about ready to call the whole ignition system a bust, rip it out, and start from scratch. None of his tweaking was helping and at least two of the valves weren't shutting right and catching against one another. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and leaned away from the machine to try and get some perspective, only to sit forward again as his back hit something. Looking behind him he saw green trimmed black slacks, knee high boots, and a black, emerald-lined, ankle length coat. They moved before he could look up fully and he soon found himself looking Loki in the eye as the magician squatted down to take a look at the mess of half-tinkered with machinery peeking through the opening. Tony's spectacles automatically outlined the contours of his face and started listing the angles and curves that made up his nose and jaw as Loki inspected the damage. The engineer let him, knowing that many of his magic tricks came from machinery, wondering if Loki could see something he missed.

"Has the secondary belt come loose or rolled off some of the gears? That might be what caused the timing issue in the first place." Loki looked over to find Tony already leaning forward to take some of the inner plates off of the engine to lift away the upper set of pistons and see the belts beneath them and sighed.

"Yeah, it skipped the gear and was running it backwards, but we don't have enough time to fit new valves and time the pistons again before the show tonight. Damn it."

Tony sat back after setting the pistons back in place for the night, his arm just brushing against the other man's. Thankfully no oil had traversed that far up his arm this time, so Loki's fine performance jacket was safe (and how _fine_ it was and only half of that was due to who was wearing it).

"Thanks, I couldn't see the armada for the airships. It's good to have a second opinion and a pair of fresh eyes around." The grin he gave was completely genuine and Loki paused just a moment for a better look.

Tony's grin froze a little at the touch of cool fingers on his chin which tilted his head to one side. All thoughts on mechanics were pushed roughly to the side and more angles were appearing on the lenses, this time the comparison of the angle of his head to that of Loki's which was leaning ever so slightly in the opposite direction. Tony waited to see what Loki had in mind, watching another hand come up to join the first, the second touching at Tony's forehead for a moment before pulling back.

"You have made quite the mess of yourself. This lubricant seems to be all over you," Loki observed idly as he released Tony's chin and showed the other his oil tipped fingers. Tony's expression moved fully into a leer as he leaned forward into the magician's space.

"Well, you can come help me wash it off, if you like? Or maybe you'd like me to share? Then we would be a matching set." His mischievous grin bordered on lecherous and his eyebrows were not quite wagging at the obvious innuendo. Not seeming to be put off at all by the genius, Loki still backed up just a bit when he got in close and flicked his eyes to the big top's entrance. Tony sighed as he heard the fast paced click of heels coming his way and leaned back into a seated position as his name was called.

Pepper's inflection was a little off, too rushed even for what she may have just realized she'd interrupted. Tony's annoyance was replaced by curiosity as he turned and frowned at the woman. "What's wrong, Pep?"

"Wrong?" Pepper hesitated ever so slightly in her steps, only serving to make Tony a little more worried, but evened out again as she took a deep breath and stopped next to the pair. She crossed her arms and took a good look at him.

"What's wrong is that we have to start filling this place early due to the large crowd and you are still here blocking the main ring and looking a mess. Is that thing fixed now, because if it isn't we'll just have to cut it." She gestured to the machine behind them.

Tony knew she was trying to cover something up there, but he was more than willing to let the busy woman continue to do so. Nothing that made Pepper sound like that _and_ still think it was a good idea to cover it up was worth the trouble of finding out what it was. It was usually followed by the headache of dealing with the problem itself. So instead of worrying, he just rolled his eyes as his earlier annoyance with the machine came rushing back.

"Better tell Rhodey to put on his good makeup, 'cause this girl won't be joining us tonight."

"Okay then, let's get this mess cleared from the ring and out back so we can finish the rest of the prep and start letting people in." Pepper was never one to put off work and easily glared the lightly protesting ringmaster into packing the loose parts back inside the cannon's cart. Said parts were thrown haphazardly back into the opening and the faceplate fitting over it had roughly one third of its screws replaced, though none of those that made it back could be called secure. He wasn't trying to be precise; he was going to be tearing it all apart again later that night anyway.

Finally finished, Tony stood and offered Loki a hand. The other man gave the filthy hand a rather pointed look before standing easily under his own power, and even went so far as to use the shorter man's shirt to wipe the fluid from his own fingers. Pepper was unable to stop her fond smile as she watched her boss feign outrage at the action (feigned because Tony's rage was quiet and cold and merciless and everything she never wanted to see again), enjoying the lanky magician's smirk and the snarky quips he gave in response.

"You should go clean yourself up, Tony," Pepper interjected firmly, halting the man's rant about how hard it was to clean oil out of vests versus just the shirt sleeves. "With this many people you're going to have to start earlier than normal."

Grumbling at the reminder, Tony wished he could childishly smudge Loki's perfect, smirking face (and dirty his hair as he pulled him down and- No. Not the time) with the grime on his hands before pointedly _not_ sulking out of the tent and towards his shower.

He almost made it the whole way there before an alert flashed on his still active glasses and slid off to the right. Turning his head to follow the flashing design, Tony wasn't sure if he should smile or curse when it stopped. "Sir, it seems that Dummy is trying to make friends with Mr. Banner's pets." Curse, he decided. Cursing was definitely the best option here and he put it in to action immediately as he started towards the problem. "JARVIS, any idea where Bruce might be? I think I'm gonna need some help."

Another symbol, a familiar green mask that was far too demonic looking to be as reassuring as it was, was overlaid on his glasses close to the first. "On his way there already, according to the kitchens." He felt a mix of relief and worry as he watched the two symbols come closer not just to him but to one another; relief that he would have help in resolving this quickly and worry as to why Bruce would be hurrying to that location in the first place.

"What exactly is Dummy trying to do this time?" he wondered out loud as he wove through the rest of the troupe's personal carriages before shaking his head. It didn't matter. "He's going to become scrap after this, one way or another."

Tony made good time and was soon standing between the raised copper cages trying to find which one his errant bot might have slipped into or, Tony had to think of the worst case scenarios, _opened_ before he found a befuddled Bruce standing outside one of the cages closer to the main stage. He started making his way around the cages and brought up a hand to catch his friend's attention. "Hey, Incredible Hulk! You see any shrapnel around because JARVIS swears that Dummy came to make friends with your buddies here."

Looking over at the only man in the main troupe shorter than him, Bruce quirked that half smile that always popped up whenever the ringleader was around. "No shrapnel here, I'm afraid," he answered over JARVIS' quiet protests - he would _never_ swear and Dummy was right over there if you would simply look, Sir - and pointed to the inhabitants of the large cage. "He really did make friends. I've never seen them that comfortable around machinery before, let alone one with a mind of its own."

It was only after he sent a well-deserved incredulous look over his spectacles at his friend that Tony went about inspecting the inside of the animal cart. There was a pause as even his genius mind took a moment to gawk at the situation before fully processing the fact that the large jaguar inside was practically _hugging_ Dummy as the robot carefully stroked the feline's head sedately with one leg. Both looked perfectly content, the jungle cat even gave the bot's metal body an experimental lick or two as they watched.

The two scientists just stood in shock and what might possibly awe or horror or both in equal parts for an unknown amount of time - Two point four two minutes, Sir. I've made a recording of the whole anomaly for later studies should you need it - before Tony's mouth finally caught up.

"The Hell? Dummy!" His construct gave a hiss of steam that was carefully directed away from the animal that was currently wrapped around it, Tony's eye twitched at the casual control it displayed there as both occupants raised their heads and looked toward them. Tony might have been a little put off by the feline gaze, but the frankly ridiculous looking robot peeking out from between its paws, just under the cat's chin ruined the dramatic effect.

"I told you to stay in the lab!" Whistles, hisses, and the occasional beep or thudding sound answered him. "Boredom isn't a good enough reason, I told you to – hey!" Tony cut himself off as a particularly loud clunk-hiss made it through his rant. "Don't go citing my actions to defend yourself! I am a terrible role model, that's why yours is _supposed_ to be – oh." The inventor paused as he remembered exactly who that was. "Huh. Carry on then."

The scientist-turned-beast master waited to see if the one-sided, or very possibly two-sided, argument would start up again before turning away from watching the jaguar try and groom the engraved metal body of the machine. He didn't find the look Tony was giving him very comforting.

"What is it?" Bruce looked over at the pair in the cage and then back to Tony who was now shaking himself into nonchalance and finally turning off his glasses. "Why does he need a role model? Who is it?"

"Dummy's always needed a role model, those first few weeks when he was left to his own devices were a _nightmare._ Why do you think Happy and Pep are still leery about him going into the big top?" Tony shook his head at the memories, smiling a little at the mess his droid had made. "He got into everything. Did you know that he can walk up walls and that I didn't think to restrict that to orders-only for about 17 hours? Took us that long to find him, just followed the path of destruction really."

"So who became his role model; Pepper?" Bruce asked, knowing how Tony could get distracted at times, especially by fond memories. The fugitive scientist couldn't help a frown as he saw his friend stiffen. Realization dawned and Bruce floundered to say something witty or to change the subject, pushing at his glasses nervously as he cast around for anything else to talk about, but he wasn't fast enough.

"No. Pepper was- _is_ too restrictive. He was to look up- to model himself after the same- after the same person I did. That's why it _had_ to change," Tony answered stiltedly.

"Tony, I..." the biologist trailed off as he studied his friend's profile. Barely a second ticked by before he looked away and gave Tony a moment to remember the man who had betrayed him.

Hoping to distract Tony from the harsh memories after a long period of silence, Bruce repeated his earlier question softly to try and fix his mistake, "Who is it now?"

There was no hesitation. "You."

Bruce blinked multiple times and tried to figure out if he'd imagined the response. He turned back to Tony who was still staring at the odd couple before them. The man was smiling now, however, and that let Bruce know he'd heard correctly.

Laughing brown eyes slid over to take in Bruce's shell shocked expression. Tony couldn't stop a chuckle at the other man's slackened jaw and jerked his head in the direction of the now sleeping duo in the cage. That seemed to snap the wanted man out of his musings and he looked into the cage as Tony clarified unnecessarily, "I guess he took your teachings to heart and learned to love the cat."

Bruce smiled and looked quietly thrilled at the thought of being chosen to be the construct's role model.

"Thank you," he whispered sincerely. The beast master collected himself and, feeling more content than he'd felt since he began running, teased, "To be looked up to by the great Tony Stark not only physically, which isn't hard," he steamrolled over the 'Hey, you don't have more than half an inch on me, Hulk!' and continued, "but also mentally _and_ morally! So much so that he taught his machines to do the same!" It was just as well that he was tackled because he couldn't keep a straight face now.

Tony was only moderately successful in forcing his scientific bud to eat his words. He was much more successful in his plans to have him eat dirt. Just about to get Banner's face to the ground while the man was too busy laughing to fight back - even dirty fights had winners – Tony stopped when a bland voice interrupted.

"I would think that you would be more used to following Madam Potts' orders by now, _Monsieur Loyal_. You should know that the threats that follow must always be carried out to ensure obedience." The sharp gaze of those cool green eyes followed Tony's every move as he released his still chuckling friend. Removing his knee from the small of Bruce's back, the engineer easily stood to face the newcomer.

Nodding towards the cage they were standing closest to, he explained, "I had something come up on my way to the shower." He paused to enjoy the moment that Loki realized what he was seeing inside the wagon. It wasn't a big reaction, but Tony would take it. Tony would take a whole lot more given half a chance.

A strangely content chuckle from the man still sitting on the ground brought Tony's thoughts back up to his more rational head. He rolled his eyes and heaved the relaxing beast master to his feet before pushing him in the direction of his animals.

"We're going to be starting early, Hulkie. Go get everyone dressed for their big moment." Bruce waved a shooing hand back at him and went to prepare his lineup. Tony turned back to Loki and was surprised to find him much closer than before, right next to the bars of the cage.

"It never ceases to amaze me," Loki murmured.

Tony moved up next to the other, nudging him with his shoulder as he did. "What is it? What can still amaze a magician?"

Those startlingly green eyes flicked over to him for a moment before they dragged themselves back to the lovebirds in the cage. "Love. How it changes those who experience it, for better or for worse. And, as is most certain in their case, how unexpected and very different the couple can be."

Tony turned, crossed his arms, and rested his back against the bars. His brown boots nearly touched the other man's as he carefully inspected the almost wistful look on Loki's face. Trailing his eyes down the elegant arm to where Loki's right hand had reached up to grab one of the thick bars, the ringmaster appreciated the view for a moment before breaking the silence.

"Did you know that Bruce and I thought they hated each other?" He looked back up and met the European man's questioning look head on.

"No, seriously. They haven't done anything but fight since Bruce brought him in. Always growling and whistling, making swipes at one another through the bars. We thought we had to keep them apart so they didn't hurt themselves, turns out they were just flirting." Tony was unable to keep the exasperation out of his voice as he explained the situation to Loki. Finishing the explanation, he turned his head to look at the napping duo out of the corner of his eye. "Who knew?"

"Indeed, it is amazing what some think of as proper courting these days, _Monsieur_ Stark."

Tony's eyes snapped back to Loki's face and tried not to read too far into what was just said- and who was he kidding? He was going to take that as both an open invitation and a challenge. Uncrossing his arms and using them to press away from the bars, Tony leaned in and invaded the taller man's space with a grin.

"Is that so? And what do _you_ think of as 'proper courting' in this day and age? Something a little more fast paced or maybe some old fashioned flowers and sonnets, hm?"

Leaning down just enough to nearly brush noses with the ringmaster, Loki responded with the utmost sincerity, "Cleanliness and punctuality are as high on the list as ever, _Monsieur."_ The title rolled off the magician's tongue like a spell and Tony reached up to grasp the arm that was still extended next to his shoulder. His mind vaguely making a small note to thank Bruce for letting him inadvertently clean his hands on the lion tamer's shirt while he tilted his head slightly to bring their mouths even closer.

"Care to make an exception?" Breaths intermingled as Tony waited for a response.

"I have always held a certain fondness for rule breaking."

The words were felt more than heard and Tony nearly cut off the last one as he pushed forward to claim those lips. Finally able to give in to the urge he'd first had nearly four months ago when he first saw Loki's act and asked him to join the caravan, the ringmaster gave a small groan. Loki pressed in as well, bringing his free hand up to loosely grasp the other man's waist as he tightened his grip on the bar behind Tony. A pull on his jacketed elbow brought him half a step closer to the shorter man.

Much happier with the magician's closer proximity, Tony held the arm in place while his other hand moved over the coat, feeling its way up the other man's chest before wrapping around the back of his neck. While letting himself be pulled further in, Loki's hand pushed under the back of the genius' open vest to rest on his spine. Digits curled and blunted nails wrinkled the hidden fabric of the dress shirt beneath the outerwear when Tony removed his mouth from Loki's for a short moment before returning at a new angle. The bar creaked faintly under the grip of the magician's fingers.

"Brother!" The two jerked, and reality came rushing back unpleasantly. They both looked at one another for another moment, each wondering if that would be the end of their interruption, before straightening themselves out as the distant voice called out again. "Brother, we must make haste! We have nary an hour to prepare ourselves!"

Tony cursed beneath his breath as Loki reminded him, "You should hurry back to your quarters and ready yourself for tonight's performance." Tony leered and received only a faintly amused look for his trouble.

"Do not fool yourself into believing that what just happened was a rule rather than an exception, made from the kindness of my heart," Loki's hand moved theatrically to his chest before he let a small smirk form on his slightly swollen lips. Leer never faltering, Tony started to grin a little as his brows raised.

"Alright then, let's see if I can't measure up to your courting standards. Or maybe rewrite the rule book, if not throw it out entirely."

The smirk widened and took on a challenging slant. "You are more than welcome to _try."_ Loki's head tilted slightly and he shifted his weight in preparation to walk back to the main stage. "Before you go to finally obey Madam Potts, where did you place my case? You left before I had the chance to ask earlier."

Still grinning at the challenge that had been set before him, Tony replied, "Just inside ring B. And one day you'll have to tell me how you carry that thing so easily."

"Will I?" Loki asked with no small amount of amusement. "We'll see."

And with that he turned to answer Thor's earlier summons, leaving Tony standing at the cage watching him leave. The ringmaster simply took in the view before a metallic hiss shook him from his entertainment. Dummy was slipping himself between the bars easily, the gaps designed to keep the jaguar inside instead of robots, and waving good-bye to his new friend.

"Alright, you. Let's get going, we've got a tight schedule."

Tony got cleaned up in record time, which simply gave him more time in the shower for other activities. Then, after making sure Dummy wasn't going to go on any more excursions that night, the inventor stepped into the crowds of people now milling around between the tents and wagons in the public area.

Straightening his coattails and readjusting the machinery on his back, Tony waved, grinned, and shook people's hands as he passed them by, answering shouted questions when he could. This was a usual process for him, seeing the crowds and letting them see him and his newest inventions up close. This current one was multipurpose, but mainly functioned as a portable welder and would probably hit the market next year. It also let the general populace know that the show was going to be starting soon. His distractions let the rest of the troupe get away from their wagons, booths, or just the crowds that inevitably formed around them and start setting up for their main acts in the upcoming show.

Tony waved to a clown-faced Rhodey as he passed him and even managed some nearly harmless sparks for the kids to laugh at before continuing his rounds between the stalls. Soon enough, everyone was making their way into the large canvas tent, only a few stragglers still hounding him to ask fascinated questions or just simply to see what he might do next. Answering the questions he felt like answering, Tony joked with the people when they asked about more sensitive topics and soon the laughing group was entering the big top.

Those following him quickly took their seats, having either thought ahead and had someone save them a good one or having to move high in the stands due to the large turnout. 'Might have to think about making another cart. Going to have to modify the Quarters to Fifths...' The modifications started listing somewhere in the back of his head as he walked to the center of the largest ring and the crowd started cheering.

Golden cape fluttering behind him, Tony turned and raised his arms up to the crowd. His red jacket burning bright under the spotlights, he offered them a large smile as he took in the sight of another large audience waiting to be entertained. Raising his hands further, the crowd only got louder. He moved his hands as if asking for silence before giving in and gesturing for more. The audience was more than happy to comply and performed the impossible and grew even louder.

Tony swept a theatrical bow in a few directions, blue and silver medallion gleaming in the spotlights, before projecting the classic intro in his perfectly over-dramatic fashion, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! Welcome to the _Stark Spectaculaire_!"

* * *

Prompt from thinkofthegunstheysell: A circus AU where Tony is ringmaster and Bruce works with the animals and Clint and Natasha are partners in throwing things and acrobatics and Thor is a strongman and idk what Steve and Loki will be yet (I'm thinking of Steve being a clown because yes can you imagine it that would be hilarious) and I'm thinking of making it Frostiron with background Clintasha and yes it's going to be awesome.

My addition: Circus AU - Snake charmer or Magician Loki. Bonus points if he swallows a sword as part of his act. :)


	2. Europeans and Explainations

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or even the idea that this came from.

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The Stark Spectaculaire

_Chapter 2: Europeans and Explanations_

* * *

"Come on boss man, there are so many things that I could do if you give me just a little more room! It won't be anything huge, you're already making changes to the diameter so what's a bit more height gonna harm?" Clint was not above begging, especially when it meant at least five extra feet to look down at the rest of the world from. "Think of the crowds you'll bring in, having the most elaborate and dangerous trapeze and high wire traveling show in the world! Just a couple extra feet, please!"

"Enough!" Tony was past fed up with this, it was nice to see the man groveling at first but this was getting ridiculous. "Clint, I agreed to do it five minutes ago. You can stop now! Hard to think of the new calculations when you're being so whin-oof!"

He was cut off as the acrobat gave him a huge hug and swung him around like a rag doll in his excitement. Hawk's incessant 'thankyou's were only stopped when Natasha kindly pointed out the engineer's need for air. Tony sat and gasped for breath.

The moment he had enough air to speak again he pointed at the man that had just almost killed him. "How about you never again thank me by attempting to murder me and we'll call it even."

Hawkeye laughed from where he was waltzing happily with the Black Widow (having pulled her into the celebrations without any protests on her part) and called out a vague agreement. He stumbled slightly as Natasha took the lead temporarily to spin him in to a turn and then hilariously morphed his stumble into a dip.

If he'd had a little more breath available, Tony would have laughed at the scene, but he settled for a grin as he addressed the table in front of him as he stood back up next to it.

"You heard the man, JARVIS. Let's give the bird and Tasha a little bit more room to play around in." The images on the table started adjusting themselves accordingly, lengthening the canvas, extending the large sturdy polls which held it and the acrobats so securely, and adding more room beneath the nets for any mishaps.

"Since you're feeling so generous, maybe you could work on that redesign of my bow that you been ignoring as well! Or the arrows that explode in to confetti on impact, or maybe th-" Clint cut off as Natasha went from waltzing to sparring between one step and the next. "Whoa, didn't realize it was that time of the month already. Ouch, hey!"

His comment was obviously unappreciated by the other females in the room and he had to dodge both Tasha's increasingly vicious hits and thrown objects. He was only moderately successful at both and was soon taken down by a combination of a well-timed object (courtesy of Pepper, who had walked over just in time for that comment) and a leg sweep that had him pinned under the hits that followed.

Looking back over at his scowling, childhood friend, Tony wondered when she was going to tell him what she found out that day almost two weeks ago now. Both she and Happy were decidedly unhappy (a childish part of him laughed at the irony) about it, whatever it was. But Tony was firmly of the belief that it could wait until they decided to tell him.

That decision was definitely not based on the fact that he was still trying to corner Loki for a repeat performance of that other (far more significant, in his opinion) thing that happened the same day. It was just heavily dependent on it. 'Speak of the devil,' he thought as he absently made another adjustment to the tent's design on his mobile workstation, watching the dark clad magician come striding into the tent.

He didn't look very happy though, if his expression and stiff movements were anything to go by. When he caught sight of Tony, Loki slowed and almost looked like he was relaxing into his usual elegant demeanor when a shout from outside had him closing off again.

"My friends!" Thor's voice penetrated the thick circus tent easily, but the replies that followed were sufficiently muffled. Lips thinning to an annoyed frown, Loki moved away and into the shadows around the sides of the room without a word.

Staying where he was – this was _his_ circus, damn it, people come to him not the other way around – Tony continued to work between stealing looks in Loki's direction. He was currently debating with JARVIS over the practically of upgrading to six wagons now instead of five and possibly having to do this again.

"Sir, the sixth wagon would either need another horse or another engine would have to be added to the lead that pulls the rest. Might I suggest speaking to both Mr. Hogan and Dr. Banner before making that call."

"Yeah, yeah." The ringmaster wasn't going to win this argument while he was still trying to figure out why Loki would be so upset by his brother's friends. Were they trying to take him back? Because that hadn't worked the first time; it had actually backfired quite marvelously in ole' one-eye's face when Thor turned around and informed his dad that he'd found a girl and a home here in this 'new land' and that he'd be back when he was 'truly needed'.

Tony wasn't going to employ the same tactics this time, though. These guys were already upsetting the usual routine; there was no way Tony would be able to deal with both them _and_ everyone else's complaints about them. And there would be complaints, judging by the rate they seemed to be ticking off those currently scattered around the tent right now. He shook his head and continued with his plans.

"Happy, my good man! Go and fetch the Hulk, I need to talk about making two carts instead of one." The look the larger man shared with his wife made it clear that they had been expecting something similar before making his way out of the tent. Tony rolled his eyes at them and their secret eye language, though he was used to it after all these years.

The caravan driver got there just in time to hold the flap open for the boisterous group of newcomers that Thor was leading to the center hub of activity, for today at least.

"Son of Howard!"

Fighting back a flinch, Tony stifled the automatic glare at that name and was thankful that he had his back to the entrance as everyone in front of him saw right though his reaction.

Apparently not catching his employer's stilted movements, Thor continued, "My friends learned of our movements and have come to join us for a fortnight if that is acceptable."

Tony finally turned around to take a look at the newcomers. The four of them were dressed for travel, probably coming straight from the ship.

"Just until the Expo?" he clarified, inspecting the Europeans as they nodded. The girl was looking around suspiciously, as if she were afraid something or _someone_ would attack her from the shadows at any moment. Tony's mind flashed to Loki and he wondered for a split second if he should be jealous before remembering the expression on the other man's face not moments before. He gave all of them a hard smile. "Let's see what you can do first, you'll have to earn your keep if you want a free room and board."

The guests seemed a little taken aback at that, but agreed when no one seemed to think anything was off about the request. The reality of it was that only Thor had ever tried to force himself into the caravan, the rest were handpicked by Tony after he saw their personal shows. Add to that the fact that all of the other acts currently present weren't overly fond of interlopers of any sort and you had a troupe that was more than willing to go along with Tony as he put the visitors through their paces even for this temporary position.

Three of them were an act together, sparing easily with various weapons in a dangerous dance around one another. The last, Volstagg, didn't actually have an act, though he did mention that he had once tried plate spinning before with great success. Instead, he was the head chef of their usual troupe and was hoping to be able to help out here as well.

The ring leader shared a discrete look with both Pepper and Natasha to be sure their guests could be fit in to the circus' normal routines. He needed Pepper's okay because she would need to find space for them to stay and Tasha's approval because they would either be part of or replace a portion of her act. Looking at the European group's determined faces... well, three determined faces (that copy-cat was attempting to wink at him suggestively, bastard) Tony gave them a slow, grudging nod.

"That should be good enough for a short stay at least. Welcome to the team." He waved Pepper to the front. "This is Miss Potts and she will be coordinating your living arrangements."

That was the entirety of Tony's dismissal of them, only two of the five Europeans seemed to get the message but the engineer had already moved on to the group that had arrived halfway through the exhibition.

"There you are Brucie, now I was thinking that we might want to expand directly to six wagons instead of five but I'd need both you and Happy on board with this. Hey, Happy! Stop smooth talking your wife and get over here and take a look at this!"

Turning he found a tall blond man hovering nearby. "Oh, Cap. Didn't see you there." Tony stopped fiddling with the display on the table and looked at the large man smiling sheepishly at him. The other looked more like a strongman than a clown, but that was because he also doubled as their horse trainer. Something was missing... "Hey, where's your red, white, and blue namesake?"

Steve ran a hand through his blond hair self-consciously; he'd grown used to wearing the cap ever since he woke up after the incident even after his hair grew back completely. "I heard we had some visitors so I rushed over to see if they had any news about the guys. Guess I left it behind by accident."

"Didn't want to ask if you weren't here to hear it." He turned back to his newest employees, they looked annoyed at having been brushed off so quickly but, thankfully, hadn't left yet. "Hey, newbies. Any word about 'Bucky's Bucking Broncos' over there? Cap was in a bit of a situation when they got asked to perform all over Europe and they haven't checked back in since. Last we heard they were still touring across the pond with that one lady."

"Peggy Carter, she's a sharp shooter from Britain." Steve looked like an overeager puppy as he looked at the thoughtful visitors.

Finally, after a bit of discussion in one Scandinavian language or another, Thor turned and replied sadly, "I am sorry, they have only heard rumors of it. Usually we work in one theater or another for a month or longer before traveling to the next; that doesn't permit as many meetings with others like us as this caravanning that you do here affords. But the rumors are recent, so there is still hope, my friend!"

Clapping Steve on the shoulder in a companionable way, Thor then turned to the ring leader who had gone back to his blueprints, only listening with half an ear.

"Son of Howard."

Another flinch would have occurred had Tony not been so engrossed in a calculation flying across the mat (the quiet European visitor seemed fascinated by the technology, but was careful not to touch. 'Smart man').

"We observed my brother entering this housing just before us. Might you have any knowledge as to his location?" Thor's puppy dog look was easily heard in his voice, so hopeful that his brother might be close by.

"Nope, not a clue. Sorry, Muscles." Tony's eyes didn't leave Clint as he said this, promising pain if he gave away the trickster's location if he didn't wish to have it made known. The acrobat wasn't as good as his partner in the art of subtlety and Tony was positive he would catch it if the archer tried to give anything away.

Hawkeye just rolled his eyes and nudged Natasha towards the mat, they were still in the middle of a practice session before all the excitement (and begging) had started.

It seemed that Loki knew when he was fighting a losing battle (acknowledging the fact that there was only one way out of this tent and he had a hound dog for a brother) and stepped out from the shadows to Tony's left.

"I am here, Thor." His voice was smooth as ever, but Tony had made an art out of watching Loki and could see the tension in his shoulders and stiffness in his expression. He disliked his brother's friends on a far greater scale then the simple casual disdain he had for his brother.

Thor and his friends were a study in opposites; Thor opening his arms wide, smiling so big his eyes were almost closed, and stepping up to his brother even as his friends stiffened and they all took a noticeable step away nearly in the same moment. Tony only noticed because he had turned to look at the dark brother when he stepped from the shadows and could see the rest in the corner of his eye. His brows pulled together in a frown at their treatment, but he knew Loki wouldn't appreciate his help.

"Come! You must join us as we celebrate their journey!" The strongman attempted to wrap one of his large arms around his brother's shoulders, but missed as the smaller (comparatively) man slipped to the side. Cheerful face slipping slightly, Thor tried again, "They have brought letters from father and mother." He held out the ones addressed to Loki in askance.

Green eyes flicked over to them and then up to bright blue. Tony could see him pause, eyes flickering between the two as he thought.

"We also have one for Mr. Stark," the woman (Sit? Sip? Bitchy, Tony decided, going by her current expression) reminded, moving forward to deliver the letter in question. She stopped, going stiff as a board when Loki looked over at her, and her eyes narrowed as she moved into the battle stance Tony had watched her make the most of not ten minutes prior.

Natasha and Clint were already moving to flank each side of the table when Loki made his decision and snatched the letters from Thor's fingers.

"I am sure your _friends_ will feel much safer without me here to disturb them." With that parting remark, Loki moved effortlessly out the door and away from this sudden hostility.

Thor looked disappointed and the sad look he gave Bitchy had her looking a bit guilty as she relaxed once again. Tony, however, didn't stop glaring just because she didn't actually attack anyone, especially not when that 'victim' would have been Loki. He just swiped the letter from her hands and set it on the table.

"JARVIS."

That was all the AI needed, a copy of the letter coming up both on his spectacles and on the table itself. "A letter from Mister Odin Borson. He has heard of your search for Mister Rogers' previous troupe and will notify you if he receives any word of them." Tony nodded to Steve, exchanging a small smile with him and Bruce even as he ignored the gasps and confused looks on the visitors' faces.

"Remind me to send him a thank you letter once he stops trying to steal my employees." This earned him a couple of dirty looks from the Europeans, a loud laugh from Thor, and an exasperated sigh from Pepper.

"Of course, Sir. The only other news worthy of note is a warning made in passing, asking that you be sure to keep his sons safe now that Obadiah Stane has escaped from prison." Tony's blood ran cold, heart skipping a beat as he froze in the middle of pulling the blueprints back to the top. His eyes flicked to where the letter was scrolling past, speed reading the contents.

The newer and temporary members only had a vague idea of what this meant, but every single one of those in the know kept their eyes on Tony, wanting to know what his reaction would be, what plan of action they would have to take against this new threat to their livelihoods.

Another moment was passed in silence, Tony going over everything JARVIS could pull up for him. He turned to Pepper; her lips were thin but she had a determined and defiant set to her chin, Happy sliding up next to her.

"This." It wasn't a question and not quite an accusation either, just a statement of a fact. "This is what you were both hiding from me."

"Yes. But it was only so that you didn't worry unnecessarily!" Pepper paused for half a second and her look softened as she tried to reassure him, "We were going to tell you tomorrow night. Colonel Fury called us to report that they have evidence that he went straight to New York and hasn't been seen leaving. They're trying to get him but it looks like he'll be targeting the Expo itself, not you, so we thought we could put it off a little."

His answering rage came in fits and starts, the ringmaster's words tripping over themselves as he protested, "Pepper, what have I-! How could- I don't-!" Visibly restraining himself, Tony took a moment to think about it, staring hard at the couple before him as he did so. A tense moment stretched between them and the European visitors looked even more confused by the silence after such an outburst.

"Alright." Tony looked away and started gathering his things, switching the table to display only and before pulling his cufflink from it. He tucked it into his pocket as he ignored everyone, trying not to yell at those who he knew didn't truly deserve it. He needed some space. And a drink. And maybe... hm...

The ringmaster pointed at his two oldest friends, voice tight. "Hogans, and probably Rhodey – I don't believe for a moment that you two would leave him out of this, so pass this along. I understand the sentiment, but don't ever do this again. I'd rather worry then be unprepared any day. I thought that if _all of you_ thought keeping something from me would be a good idea that I would _eventually_ come to realize it was a good idea, but I don't think it's going to be like that this time. No."

With that, he turned and started walking out of the tent, once again ignoring protests and explaining as he went. "I'm going to my lab to think. No interruptions tonight. Not. One. I'll tell you my plans in the morning."

The smarmy visitor tried to grab his arm for something, probably a concerned question, but Tony just bit his tongue. There was no need to make Odin angry over this nobody even if he was having a terrible day so, after shooting him a scathing look, the engineer just wrenched easily out of his grip.

Continuing out of the tent, he didn't miss the flash of a knife in Tasha's hands seconds before he finally made good on his exit. He gave a small smile over her protectiveness as the door flapped shut behind him. Tony started away from the tent but not directly towards his lab, almost positive he would be asked to head there shortly.

"Sir," the British voice started, an alert popping up on the lenses.

"I know JARVIS. I thought he would be."

Tony reached the animal cages a little faster than usual, agitation making his steps quicker. Sure enough, Dummy was back in the carriage with the jaguar. This time they were play fighting, the jaguar swatting at Dummy as the bot scuttled up and down the inside of the cage, hissing playfully.

"Dummy! Hey- whoa, there buddy." Tony backed up a bit from the cage as the jaguar turned and growled at him. "I'm not taking your date away; I'm just informing him of some new house rules."

A whistle from the mechanical construct had the feline lying down uneasily. Eying the cat a little longer, Tony began to wonder if this was because of that stuff that Bruce kept putting in its food. That would make this whole situation a whole lot more normal actually. Experiment successful.

Another hiss brought him out of his calculations, "What? Oh, right. Stane's out of prison and probably going to attack us, me, or the Expo itself in two weeks. I'm going to the lab now to figure this out or just mess around and possibly drink myself into oblivion for the night. I'm just giving a heads-up for when you make it back tonight."

The mech gave another, mournful whistle and walked over to where Tony was standing. Sticking one of its legs through the bars Dummy moved it until it was barely touching his creator's face.

A half smile flashed across his face at this and he gave the robot's leg a brief pat. "I'll be fine, you know me. I'll bounce back to take on the world like normal." 'Right?'

The bot's optic examined him a short while longer before it seemed to come to a decision. Tony looked on in confusion as it sped over to the far back corner and started tapping on the floor of the cage. It paused, whistling at the corner before turning back with a double-hiss to the jaguar that padded over and gave a yowl.

Tony raised his brows as the two of them looked in his direction, Dummy giving a deliberate tap-tap on the floor before whistling in a decidedly saucy manner.

Suspicion successfully planted, Tony made his way around the cart to look at the ground beside the two inside and snorted. Loki glanced over at him from where he was glaring up at the two in the cart above him. The glare didn't survive the transfer, and Loki looked away shortly after, slightly apologetic.

"I was attempting not to eavesdrop."

The ringmaster easily took Loki at his word; he wasn't the only one who liked to be alone when processing new and rather personal information.

"I wasn't exactly making it easy for you," Tony remarked, giving a humorless smile. Watching Loki reread the letter moment longer, Tony thought he almost recognized the emotions hidden there. The magician looked up questioningly, feeling the intensity of the gaze, and Tony came to a decision. "You want to come with me to the lab? The first drink is on me."

He found it encouraging that Loki was even considering it.

"No questions?"

Tony shook his head. "Nope. But," the engineer leaned down a bit before continuing with a sexy smirk, "there are a couple things I can think of doing with you that don't require _any_ talking."

He gave the other a full blown leer before he backed off. "Either way, I'd still like to give that courting thing a try, if you want to tell me the rest of your standards." Loki was a perfect distraction for Tony's earlier anger.

Loki looked up at the engineer with a mischievous glint back in his eye. "Still trying to achieve the impossible I see, _Monsieur_."

Tony's heart rate jumped at that name and he smiled. "Sometimes, I try to accomplish six impossible things in one day. But I think courting you will be far more rewarding then that." He offered the other man a hand up and was accepted after a short hesitation. Tony was rather reluctant to let go, however, and instead pulled Loki closer.

"I did warn you about rules and exceptions, _Monsieur_ Stark." Loki didn't seem to upset at the situation, however, simply tucking the letter into his pocket for safe keeping.

"Tony. I'm pretty sure we know one another well enough for first names now, _Loki,"_ the ring leader admonished teasingly.

"I would not be so sure, _Monsieur._ Some say that courtships can take years to get to that point." Tony raised a brow and the other man continued, "Patience is a _virtue._"

Tony was completely prepared to show Loki just how virtuous he was (his score was deeply in the negatives when scaled by something so insignificant as 'virtues').

Clearly having other plans, Loki put a stop to the brunet's advances by applying his fingertips to the other man's lips. He wasn't the only one who thought that starting something more here would be a bad idea if the hiss-clunks and growls were anything to go by. Giving in, Tony sighed and loosened his grip on the other.

Fingers brushed down his lips, ghosting teasingly over his goatee, and Tony couldn't help but make a playful bite in their direction even as they slipped easily out of his range. Loki chuckled as he started moving towards the lab, tugging the scientist the first few steps before releasing the now awkward hold (both participants using their right hands might make for the best grip when helping one another up, but made walking together uncomfortable) and easily matching Tony's brisk pace. They successfully avoided seeing anyone else (not especially hard to do on one of their 'rest' nights; when they didn't have a show people usually stayed in their carts or went out on the town) and very possibly made it there in record time.

Unfortunately, it was long enough to let Tony's brain dust off the Stane issue and start working on it again. By the time they reached the lab, the engineer was already pulling out JARVIS' link-ups from his pocket and hooking them into their notch by the door.

Thankfully, Loki seemed to understand what happened and, after giving him a long stare, simply started poking around. "Perhaps a trade is in order? Information about these machines in return for my counsel on proper etiquette when courting your intended partner."

Tony gave a small snort as he twisted dials and flicked switches. "Sure, why not?"

A low hiss came from either side of the large cart as the sides moved away from the center with a whisper of well-oiled mechanics. Loki raised his brows and looked around with open curiosity as he watched the extra tables unfold from the sides of the work room, displays flickering on with a mixture of what had been there that morning and information about Stane's escape or disappearance all sliding in and out of view.

A flash of movement caught his eye and he turned to see Tony making large gestures (so very similar to what he did in the center ring: commanding attention, luring the watchers in) as the images obeyed eagerly. Even as he watched, the main table seemed to transform, going from a rather bland flat surface with a few knobs on the side to a multi-tiered structure, lights shining from impossible places even as gears easily moved whole sections around. It was like watching an extremely complicated puzzle solve itself before his eyes and it would probably take years for Loki to learn all of the functions that Tony was activating and tweaking so confidently as he sniped back and forth with his AI.

Tony didn't know it then, but Loki would later tell him that it felt like being in the presence of a master magician, images and sounds appearing from thin air as the two (the inventor and his greatest invention) rehashed the latest progress updates as well as the newly collected data from today's discovery. He caught Loki's surprised blink when he turned to the other for his opinion on one of the newest gadgets, an exquisitely complicated bow that was floating above the table. Moving forward, Loki reached out and moved his fingers through the image.

"For Barton," Loki guessed.

Tony sighed even as he made adjustments to the bow – adding a little extra length while removing some superfluous molding around the middle, the discarded pieces vanishing at the edge of the table. He reached out and moved the bow as if it was a physical object and it readily obeyed, lying flat so that the balance could be measured and displayed. "Yeah, he hounded me for days. Never let me forget the fact that I gave in." Tony grumbled about needing _some_ sleep.

They soon fell in to a comfortable exchange of both information and witty remarks. Somewhere in between explaining what the heavily embellished boots in the corner were for ('Haven't you ever wanted to fly all by yourself? No rules, just freedom') and learning that Loki enjoyed dancing nearly as much as he liked pulling things apart to see how they worked ('Enjoying a more genteel pastime does not make me less curious of mechanics') Tony realized just how calming it was to have him there.

The movement of his fingers showcased Tony's multitasking skills, still working on the issue that had driven him here even as he answered questions and admired Loki's mind (and body, Tony would never forget that body. Not when he was right there, so close).

During a pause in these activities, Tony's eyes were caught by his mostly full glass of whiskey still sitting on the table next to him on its coaster (he'd experienced more than one alcohol induced fire before he gave in to Pepper's nagging).

Usually he'd be halfway through the bottle by now and probably dismantling if not destroying at least one of the inventions Loki was so fascinatedly studying in his frustration at the situation. Tony knew he didn't deal with threats well; give him something to fight and he'd battle until it disappeared or gave in, but with the cause so far away it left him no one deserving to take it out on. He knew himself well enough to get away from those who didn't deserve it before turning his anger inward.

But Tony had offered to let Loki come with him, to share this sanctuary that few were permitted or even dared to enter. It was completely unplanned; he'd been unable to halt the suggestion when he found the magician huddled on the far side of the cage and hadn't wanted to stop it after seeing the expression that flitted across that aristocratic face when he looked down at the letter. The amount of self-loathing and deeply hidden sorrow he'd caught in that flash was all too familiar.

"How did you compile all of this information so quickly if you have only just learned of the escape?" Loki asked; eyes on the 'pages' displayed on the table in front of him, but watching the engineer very carefully none the less.

Half a beat later, JARVIS replied in Tony's stead, "I gather information from the radio waves and telegraph machines in all of my central and remote locations. It is then pieced together in New York where I am centrally located before being delivered here, Mr. Liesmith."

Seeing that his pointed question hadn't broken Tony from his thoughts, Loki reached out and grabbed the focus of the man's attention. The ringmaster jumped ever so slightly as those skilled fingers wrapped around the sturdy glass, bringing it up to Loki's lips.

Giving a teasing smirk over the rim, Loki remarked, "For a moment there, I was positive that you had forgotten me all together. May I ask what is so fascinating about this glass?" He took a slow sip as he waited for the answer.

"Well, it's a hell of a lot more interesting now," Tony's words bypassed his brain once again and, per usual, he didn't regret a word of it. Raising a brow as his lips twitched into a smile, Loki continued to wait for the full answer. Tony sighed and relented, "I was wondering about those questions you didn't want to answer, okay?"

Loki tensed even as the businessman reaffirmed his earlier agreement. "You've already made it clear that you didn't want to answer so I'm not gonna ask."

Fingers tightened around the glass (and Tony was thankful that he had very sturdy glasses or else that one would have been toast) as green eyes stared off unfocused for a moment. The technician studied him for a moment longer before returning to his research, planning exactly what needed to be done during the next two weeks. Silence stretched as Tony managed to find a way to secure the wagons to defend them if they were attacked while traveling and Loki fiddled with the drink in his hand.

Sneaking a glance at the European, Tony found the other man contemplating the plans with a frown on his face. He looked away as green eyes flicked up to meet his. It seemed that, for all that Loki found it hard to talk about his own issues, he was still intensely curious about Tony's resurfacing problems. 'How far is he willing to go to get the answer?'

He had just started putting together the plans for if the Expo itself was attacked when Loki spoke up.

"How about another trade, _Monsieur_." Tony was beginning to think that the title had become Loki's equivalent of a pet name for him. The ringmaster wasn't about to complain, the things that accent did to (him) the name were sinfully delicious. "A story for a story, the histories behind our letters revealed."

Their eyes met over the table as Tony thought about it. It wasn't a bad deal; both knew at least the basics of each story. Might as well get the full one straight from the horse's mouth.

"Deal, but only if you don't stop being distracting," Tony agreed, mentally steeling himself for what he was going to have to say.

Loki smirked as he brought the glass back to his lips and took another sip before carefully licking his lips clean of any stray drops as he pulled the glass away. Only a large message from Jarvis flashing on his spectacles snapped Tony out of (those lips and that tongue with x[body part] minus y[clothing] equals) the fantasies that the other man's display generated.

"Maybe not _that_ distracting, don't you have a middle area? Some happy medium between ridiculously attractive and nearly pornographic?"

Tony didn't give the magician any time to reply, continuing as he turned to fully face the man standing cattycorner to him and leaned his hip on the table. "Obadiah Stane was my father's closest friend and usually a better father to me than my biological one ever was. He was the one who first let me in the ring and the first to encourage me to go to college." Tony's hand found the round blue and silver medallion that never left his neck and his eyes grew distant, looking into the past.

"Turns out he was using my time in college to try and take over the company by exaggerating my faults to make people doubt me. That way, when Howard passed on, the company would fall to him instead." His voice was hollow, echoing with bitterness as he remembered the outrageous rumors. All only somewhat based in truth, but completely damning in the eyes of the public.

Clearing his throat of the tightness that had settled during the pause, Tony continued, "It almost worked- _would_ have worked if it weren't for the fact that I came back just before he died and started fixing this place up real nice. Designed and built most of these carts at that time." Both of which happened under Pepper's strict instruction. The amazing woman had realized what Stane was trying to do and she had been working on how best to counteract it nearly the entire time.

The cart they were standing in gave a soft hiss as if expressing its thanks to its creator who quirked a small sincere smile. Loki nearly missed it; Tony's expression slipping back into a frown shortly after. The magician was moderately surprised to find that he had to consciously keep his hand from reaching out and touching the other man's expressive face in an attempt to bring the fleeting expression back.

"That was when he realized that his years of planning had backfired. That was when he went the final step into madness. When he hired the assassins."

Loki frowned, none of the news articles he'd found on the incident had mentioned professionals. Those who had exposed Stane's plans were reportedly no more than two bit thugs he'd hired off the street. Loki moved towards the corner of the table between them as he set down the glass on its coaster, eyes narrowing as pieces started coming together in his head. Plural, _professionals_, the pair that almost literally kept him on his toes. "The Widow and the Hawk."

Tony gave the barest of nods, unsurprised that Loki was sharp enough to divine the truth from a few sparse facts. "I got really lucky, there. Stane picked one of the best pairs in the business just as they decided to get out of it. I gave them that out. Free of charge; no strings attached. Natasha was willing to listen when I started babbling which means they probably planned the entire thing before I even offered. But I'd realized that they didn't have to show themselves at all, hence the offer."

"And they called _me_ silver-tongued," Loki murmured almost wonderingly. "I've never had to talk my way out of murder before." That seemed to be enough to pull Tony out of his cold memories and he focused on the sword-eater's face once more, lecherous mind easily catching on to the possible innuendos and saving them for later.

Tony smoothed over what was left. "The rest is well documented in the papers. Hired thugs, their failure, his personal attempt and subsequent arrest."

Watching Loki run what he knew of the rest of the story through his head (he was definitely not burning the image of a satisfied Loki in his workroom into his brain, nope), Tony stood there a moment longer before returning to the plans on the table.

The European tilted his head a little to one side to view the plans from the correct angle and flicked one of the side documents back into the center. He made that last step out from around the corner as Tony grabbed the article automatically and flicked through it before adding it to the central plans.

"Aren't you going to ask me for my part of the agreement?" Loki never reneged on a deal, though he had been known to twist the words to his favor, and was honestly curious as to why the other man wasn't demanding answers.

A moment passed as Tony thought about it; his half of the deal was difficult for him to come out and say all at once, but he still had the feeling that Loki might be offering something a little more personal than that. That was the reason he hadn't tried to push earlier. Having had to explain that history more than once before (yet never all of it in its entirety like this had been) Tony knew what to expect from it and was able to keep most of the emotions in check, or at least behind a mask of indifference. He was pretty positive that Loki had never told anyone the story he was offering Tony now.

The thought of knowing that history was tempting and the magician's willingness to share it only made it more so, but there was a lingering fear in those green eyes. Catching that, Tony thought back to why he'd gone to see the magician's show that first time. About the rumors that were following the European (telling of how he might have killed someone or burned down a rival's opera house just for attention or was a woman in disguise) that reminded him of those that had gone around before and after his father had died. It made him want to see if Loki was just as much of a victim as he was.

He still wanted to hear the full story, but Tony wasn't willing to force Loki to tell him.

Reaching that conclusion, the ringmaster gave a shrug and he ran a hand through his unruly hair, messing it further. Tony gave Loki a sidelong glance and replied, "You didn't want to talk about it. There is no time limit on the deal. If you really want to tell me now, be my guest, otherwise you can just promise to tell me later."

Then Tony discovered that watching Loki smile was like watching the sun rise, getting brighter and warmer as it revealed itself to the world. Tony wondered if he would ever get a chance to wake up to that smile instead of the sun – he'd give up sunrises in a heartbeat to see that every morning. ('Just to see him every morning.' Tony buried that thought, unable to deal with what that might mean right now. He was too sober for all of these deep thoughts.)

The ring leader gave a smug smile in return. "Besides, I've almost finished this up for tonight. I thought we could do something more entertaining with our time together."

Loki's smile gained a wicked edge as he stepped up closer to Tony.

"Do you? Pray tell, what ideas might you have given this," he ran his fingers down Tony's arm teasingly, "_situation_?" The magician grabbed the ringmaster's hand and quickly arranged the two of them in a very familiar position. Familiar to Loki at least, but Tony had never had to play the part of a woman before. Smirking at his unimpressed look, Loki asked, "Perchance a dance, _Monsieur_?"

JARVIS was quick on the uptake, piping in a classical music as Tony mumbled something about traitors and rewriting codes. Loki took the chance to start leading the dance, easily supporting the engineer as he stumbled over the first few steps.

This might have been a completely new experience for the man, but Tony wasn't just a genius when it came to math and physics and he was quickly gliding along confidently as the magician skillfully maneuvered them through the steps and around inventions.

"You know," Tony spoke up after simply enjoying the heady closeness of his dancing partner. "I'm beginning to think that you don't regard patience as highly as you'd led me to believe."

Loki quirked an elegant brow, looking down at Tony who checked to make sure he hadn't trod on the other man's toes again. Looking back up, Tony met that steady gaze and got the impression that the slightly taller man was still thinking over everything he'd just been told, possibly wondering whether or not to trust the ringleader with his own secrets.

"Why is that?"

The look that Tony gave the other man plainly asked if the European thought that he was mentally deficient.

"You've almost danced us in to five different corners before changing your mind at the last moment. I've led enough dances to figure that much out." Another swift turn had them spinning in another direction. "Make that six."

Loki gave a smile as if speaking to a simpleton, though Tony was sure there was a bit of laughter around his eyes. "The cart is rather small and cluttered for these types of activities."

Then, giving a low chuckle, Loki leaned in to whisper, "But perhaps you would prefer something a little more _intimate_."

That was all the warning Tony received before Loki pulled him closer (and into their seventh corner, this one containing a chair the engineer had fallen asleep in more than once) and pressed their mouths together enticingly. The shorter man wasn't about to start complaining. He responded quickly and the magician groaned softly as callused fingers wound through his hair.

Music continued to play softly in the background even as the dancers gave up the waltz for something a bit more primal. If JARVIS had been programmed for it, he would have looked smug. Four of those 'corners' the couple had almost landed themselves in hadn't been there moments before. Well-oiled gears made almost no noise and were easily covered by the music that was playing. It wasn't unnoticed; Tony smirked at a camera before pushing Loki into the chair.

There was no way that Loki hadn't purposefully landed the way he did, no one could be that effortlessly elegant by accident. Tony took a moment to admire the magician, his black shirt and slacks adding a touch of class to the worn, red chair, before the seated man held out a beckoning hand.

Reaching forward with a grin, Tony clasped the other man's hand, stepped between Loki's spread knees and placed his free hand on the flair of the wing backed chair next to Loki's head.

"I think you know exactly what I would prefer," he nearly growled back at the trickster before leaning in and cutting off any reply that it may have incited. Eventually, the strange angle put sufficient strain on his back and Tony slid to his knees (thankful for the padding that the reinforced leather there gave him), pulling Loki forward to keep from breaking the kiss. Loki groaned lowly as his new, higher position gave him greater access to the other man's mouth and quickly set about exploring.

Never one to be a passive participant, Tony pressed up even as his hands wandered the lean body pressed so closely to his, mentally mapping each sound that he pulled from the magician for further investigation. Loki gasped and pulled away from the kiss slightly as those callused hands found a particularly sensitive spot, before regaining control of himself.

Opening his eyes slightly, he was moving forward almost instantly to lavish attention and open mouthed kisses to the other man's neck. Tony groaned and tilted his head to free more of his skin from the collar of his jacket and assist the other man's exploration. His hands wandered up to skillfully divest Loki of his tie and start working on the buttons hidden beneath.

Breath coming in short gasps as talented fingers left his hair and shoulder to start exploring the rest of his body, Tony pressed up towards the other man sharply.

Loki gave a short gasp and Tony smirked. "You know, I've always wondered if this chair was sturdy enough to hold two people."

* * *

Sorry for being such a tease, but I have zero experience writing any further in these types of relations so I shall instead leave it to your imagination. Maybe in a later chapter?

I'm so glad that a lot of you are enjoying this! Thanks so much for all your support!


	3. It's Showtime!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or even the idea that this came from.

* * *

The Stark Spectaculaire

_Chapter 3: It's Showtime!_

* * *

The boom of a cannon resonated through his chest and Tony was only just able to keep himself from jumping. He was no stranger to explosions, especially not those coming from the machine's he had invented himself, but the anxiety over Stane's attack was beginning to get to him. Rather, the fact that they had seen neither hide nor hair of the man was getting to him. The ringmaster patted his waistcoat and pants to reassure himself that everything was properly in place as Rhodey finished.

They had made it the whole way back to New York without a hitch, not even in their equipment. Now, on the fourth night of their two week stay in the large city, Tony was wound tight enough to snap at every little thing as he waited for the other shoe to drop. He'd insulted each person in the troupe at least once during the weeks leading up to this but, thankfully, they seemed to understand or even share his stress and were all ready to help or at least turn a deaf ear to his barbs.

Loki was also a big help, providing both distraction as well as comfort, though they never had any time to themselves after that night nearly three weeks before. If Tony wasn't trying to prepare for the inevitable attack, Thor was pulling his brother away for some family time or Pepper had something that needed the businessman's attention.

Due to the circumstances, Tony felt as though he saw more of the assassins than the object of his affections. In fact, he felt as though he was tripping over at least one half of the highly skilled pair every time he turned around, though never literally (they were never involved in the falls at least, bastards).

It didn't help that Loki was so good at tucking himself away so as to not have to deal with their Scandinavian guests and the inevitable drama they brought with them, and Tony didn't fault him for that. He was more than willing to skip out on their many activities that they had invited him to. Or rather, the activities that Fan-guy kept trying to invite him to.

Tony repressed a shudder. He might be quite the player (especially in his college days, though the rumors had forced him to grind that part of the social scene nearly to a halt. His teeth ground a little at the thought of the man behind it) but he sincerely hoped that he had _never_ acted as smarmy as that blond copycat was currently. The man was _overly_ blatant about his intentions towards Tony's person.

Tony was thoroughly unimpressed with the man's continued behavior and was positive that he was making that message clear to even the slowest of dullards, but the man didn't seem willing to take a hint. Even the rest of the Europeans couldn't hide their embarrassment when their companion persisted in pushing his advances only to be rebuffed at every turn. But, then again, he also thought he'd made it obvious whose side he was standing on for the guests' collective spat against Loki as well, but only Hogun seemed to understand that one. Maybe they just couldn't believe that anyone would take Loki's side over theirs.

So, instead of trying to correct them, Tony simply treated them with all the respect that he thought they deserved (little to none) and went about with his preparations and attempts to corner Loki again.

The plans for general defense with the possible retaliation if the situation called for it went over well with the rest of the caravan and Tony was able to modify their carts to suit the new specifications in no time at all with Bruce, Happy, and Loki there to spread the work around.

"Tony!" The hissed whisper really did make him jump, his gold showman's cape nearly tripping him as he spun to face an apologetic Pepper. She made a shooing gesture towards the ring and, realizing that he had almost missed his queue due to his ponderings, Tony quickly moved to obey.

Rhodey was grinning at the still cheering audience, though it didn't quite reach his eyes as they scanned the crowd. He then turned to Thor, who assisted him in the act, to share the acclaim before bowing to Tony. The ringmaster bowed back theatrically, capturing the attention of the crowd and allowing the two men to start clearing the floor for the next act.

"Let's hear it again for our favorite dare devil, Risky Rhodey, and the spectacular strongman, Thor!" The packed theater roared their approval for the duos' death-defying feats; one particularly tricky part of the show, which had Rhodey flying across the room while Thor nearly hit him with impossibly heavy objects, was sure to make the papers.

He continued his easy rapport with the crowd as the final cannon was removed from the ring, showing off yet another of his inventions to keep the crowd interested.

This time it was the gloves that were designed to go with the boots Loki had found earlier. Tony presented them as strength enhancers rather than try to explain their main function as flight stabilizers. The crowd went wild as he easily picked up a volunteer from the audience with no visible effort. That didn't mean it was easy, the 'gloves' (which actually went up his arms underneath his jacket sleeves and covered a portion of his chest) didn't enhance his leg strength, but the volunteer wasn't all that heavy to begin with and he'd lifted ladies her size more than once without enhancement many times in the past.

Waving her back in to the cheering crowd, Tony's eyes caught a flash of light on the floor in front of him. It jumped three times and the ringmaster raised his hands for silence.

"I now have the great pleasure to announce our next Spectaculaire Event! This pair hails from parts unknown but their skills both on the ground and in the air are unmatched! You may have seen some fantastic high wire acts in the past, but let me assure you that none can hope to measure up to the heights and dangers that you will soon see." He raised his hands dramatically towards the tent's roof, "May I present, the king of his nest, the high-flying Hawkeye and his partner, whose beauty is only matched by her talent, the deadly Black Widow!"

Pyrotechnics went off as planned and brought the crowd's attention up to where the two acrobats stood, spotlights revealing their positions on separate pillars as they each gave showman's bows to the audience. They then got right down to business, grabbing the trapeze handles that had been secured to the columns behind them and hurling themselves off the platforms and in to their routine.

Tony made sure to leave the ring before they started the knife throwing portion of their act. He was met by the sight of the FBI Agent that Fury had assigned to their case, a young man who was far too professional and experienced to be called 'fresh-faced', who had introduced himself as Agent Coulson, looking terribly excited.

That gave Tony pause. The agent hadn't shown any emotion other than polite disinterest since he'd arrived. Now he was practically bouncing on his toes and rummaging through his pockets as he sent nervous looks over to a corner of the back room.

Worries pushed to the side for a moment, Tony looked on in bemusement as the agent gathered himself, took another glance at whatever he now held in his hands, and made his way over to the figure standing obliviously in the corner. The ringleader followed at a distance, wondering what the young man wanted with their gentle giant.

He almost lost interest as he caught a glimpse of Loki out of the corner of his eye, but the magician looked busy preparing for his act in the next partition. Never one to pass up an opportunity to (stalk) enjoy the other man's presence, Tony dropped even further back to see what the dark haired man was up to as Coulson hovered just behind his quarry. He'd been wondering what Loki was keeping in those strange baskets for the past week!

He tried to sneak a peek past the thick curtain that divided the room, but just then the government worker cleared his throat prompting Steve to turn and look questioningly at the still fidgeting agent.

"You are Steve Rodgers from Bucky's Bucking Broncos, right?"

Tony realized exactly what was going on here and had to bite a knuckle to help stifle the laughter that threatened to ruin this beautiful moment. For his part, Steve looked confusedly hopeful as he nodded at the agent, wondering what this was all about.

The agent only seemed to become more bashful at the confirmation, "I always went to your shows whenever I had the chance and it is an honor to meet you properly, sir."

Steve blushed at the praise; he'd never been good with fans even when the whole troupe had been there to take the adoration equally. "Thanks, it's uh, nice to meet you as well." He held out his hand for a handshake that was enthusiastically accepted. The agent grinned so wide Tony was afraid his face would crack.

"I've always enjoyed your parts in the show the best, even when you were just starting out. The things that you can do with the horses are simply amazing."

Blue eyes flicked down in embarrassment, catching sight of the excited fan's other hand which still clutched some small cards. Coulson caught himself, releasing his hero's hand and grasping the cards in question with both hands.

"I was wondering if you might be able to sign these cards I brought, if you have the time." He held up a pair of commemorative postcards that most Stark circuses sold after the shows, both showcasing Steve performing tricks with his favorite horses.

Tony watched the trick-rider-turned-clown simply stare at the postcards in shock for a moment before he had to turn away, unable to look for fear of bursting in to a fit of terribly unmanly giggles at the situation. His shoulders shook from the effort to remain quiet as Steve awkwardly agreed to sign the agent's memorabilia; he could practically feel Coulson's joy from where he was standing.

'Well, that certainly eased the atmosphere. For me, at least. Cap's never going to live this down if I have anything to do with it.'

Praying that JARVIS had caught the entire scene for (blackmail) posterity, Tony made a mental note to use the footage as a reward for Clint the next time he refrained from begging him for a crazy invention.

Well, a crazy new invention that Tony hadn't thought of to begin with. He never liked it when his genius was stepped on.

The engineer heard Coulson try to continue the stilted conversation and had to slap a hand over his mouth to stop his snort of laughter, glad he wasn't in their line of sight. He attempted to compose himself; to be serious again in this dangerous time, but when he looked up it was directly in to a pair of laughing green eyes. The magician's lips held a thinned half smile that only grew as the hilarity of the situation hit Tony again full force and a snort escaped from behind his fingers.

Moving quickly over to where Loki was standing on the other side of the cloth partition, they were both soon hidden from the hilarious pair, trying not to let those behind him know that they'd heard.

Grabbing one of Loki's arms to steady himself, Tony pressed his forehead to the European man's shoulder and tried to muffle the laughter he could no longer deny. He kept his lips pressed together to try and mute the sounds, but the stilted breathing through his nose and the fact that he was smiling so hard he couldn't open his eyes would have given him away in an instant.

Loki didn't seem that much better off and his breathy chuckles only encouraged more laughter from the man clinging to his arm.

They stood laughing with one another for a moment longer before settling down, Tony taking a couple of deep breaths to try and help facilitate that.

Pulling his head back up, he let his eyes trail over Loki's flushed and smiling face, enjoying the partially hidden lust he now saw reflected in those eyes as much as he had the laughter. Tony's eyes shifted down to the movement of the magician's tongue swiping over his lips (almost leaning in to follow it with his own) before he tore himself away.

Loki smiled understandingly even as he made it worse, running his fingers up the complex machinery that covered the other man's arm as Tony tried to step away.

"Finally finished the set, I see. Are you going to be taking them out for a test flight any time soon?"

The ringleader grinned at the reminder, holding up one of his hands so that they could both see the gears moving as he flexed his fingers.

"Hopefully; I can't wait to see how they do! I have to wait until this debacle is over, though." That reminder brought Tony back to the annoying waiting game they had all been playing, just passing the time until that shoe finally dropped.

He nearly made it back to the worried frown he'd been sporting earlier when cool fingertips traced his jaw and he realized that Loki had closed the gap that the ringmaster had so painstakingly opened moments before. Those green eyes were especially hypnotizing at close range.

"I am sure that everything will come together perfectly."

The fingers moved as if to slip away but Tony was quick enough to hold them there, his gloved hand trapping the magician's as he offered him a grateful smile. A distant click of heels had them both lowering their hands shortly after, Tony turning towards the door as Loki moved back to the table and snapped his case shut for the show. Pepper poked her head in, showing no surprise at having found them there together, and quietly informed them, "About five minutes until you're up."

She waited for Loki to acknowledge her with a short nod and her boss to grunt his acceptance before heading back out to make sure that Bruce was getting his animals prepared for their act as well. She'd barely stepped away, Steve in tow to help with the horses who followed the Hulk, before Tony's attention swung back to the man beside him.

The aforementioned man was lifting up his performance case as if it weighed no more than a feather. Tony pointed at it, jaw dropping a little.

"But, that – how –?" the ringleader sputtered as he tried to reconcile this lightweight case to the unmanageable monstrosity he'd attempted to move over a month before. Catching the smug look on the other man's face, Tony pointed a finger at him, eyes narrowed. "You knew that I was going to offer and weighted it, didn't you? I _knew_ there was no way it could be that heavy all the time, not with you having to use it every night. Give it here, let me see how heavy it's supposed to be."

Tony made a grab at the case, easily tugging it out of the unresisting grasp. The case landed with a thump right next to his boots and the engineer felt lucky that it hadn't come any closer before succumbing to gravity and possibly crush his toes. His brow wrinkled in confusion as his gloves worked twice as hard as they had in the demonstration just trying to lift the case off the ground again. Maybe he should have been a little wearier of how accommodating the bag's owner was in handing it over.

Giving a huff as he strained to pull it off the ground, Tony muttered, "Should have known, the magician's bag is full of tricks, eh?" A chuckle came from beside him and he looked back up at Loki questioningly.

"Did you expect anything less?" came the taunting reply.

Another challenge then, well Tony was more then up for that. He let the case rest at his feet once again, eyes narrowing as he started inspecting it for clues, something that might give the trick away. Within moments he had narrowed it down to the handle (probably), but nothing seemed to be exceptional about it other than the strange texture it held.

"There's got to be a missing piece, something only you have maybe? But where would you keep it and how would you be sure that no one else could have it or take it? This is an awesome security feature but without a failsafe you might…" Tony trailed off and looked up at Loki, only to be surprised as he saw him looking around as if for spies.

Considering that the assassins were in the middle of their act and Agent Coulson was still mooning over his postcards past the partition, Loki quickly deemed it to be safe enough. He reached out and showed his hands, displaying them for easy inspection. Tony recognized the motions from the many side shows he had seen over the years, his mind filling in the words often recited. 'See, nothing up my sleeves.'

But there _was_ something on his hands - on his fingers, specifically.

Five rings shone bright in the soft lamps that lit the back area. Finally releasing the bag from his grip, Tony moved to grab one of the other man's hands for closer inspection. The magician moved his arms a little bit closer to his body for a moment, just enough for the ringmaster to pause, before displaying the one on his left thumb prominently.

Skilled fingers gave the jewelry a small twist in one direction and Loki quirked a smile as both the bag and the man standing above it jumped slightly. Gluing his eyes to the ring once again, Tony watched in fascination as a turn in the other direction ejected a small latch from within. Loki reached down towards the bag's handle in a deliberately slow motion, displaying exactly how the ring fit in to one of the many slots that were hidden along the worn surface and pulled it half an inch to the right. The device gave the softest of clicks and the magician picked it up again, easily hefting up the weight in one hand.

Sensors activating in his lenses, Tony looked the bag over again and he found that the case was emitting something around the bottom, lifting itself as Loki guided it to where it needed to be. His mind analyzed the mechanics that had probably gone into it and it all just reaffirmed exactly what Tony had thought from the beginning: Loki was just as much a genius as Tony.

The engineer let his eyes move from the bag, trailing up the other man's body and head tilting slightly as he processed this.

There were differences of course; no two geniuses were exactly alike after all. Tony was far more specialized in his technology and open about his inventions, but Loki was quietly brilliant and had mastered more than just the standard scientific fields. The magician was tricky, sly, and his genius was usually attributed more to a sharp tongue rather than a quick mind, but his feats of magic were more than just tricks; it was Loki knowing what the audience would do before _they_ did.

Tony's look was particularly heated when he finally met the other man's eyes and Loki wasn't unaffected, finding distinct pleasure in the fact that the ringleader had figured out even some of the smaller nuances of his invention after just one demonstration.

A magician should never reveal their secrets, but the thought of working with or even against this fantastic man was too much temptation for Loki. He raised his free hand enticingly and grinned while displaying its three unexplained rings. The dare was presented boldly; four more rings to try and puzzle out, as well as the amazingly distracting enigma who had created them.

Tony was more than willing to start the explorations now and reached out for the proffered hand to yank Loki (to the corner, to his room, to the lab) _closer_ to him, only to knit his brow as the other looked away. Letting his hand drop as well, Tony looked over to find Coulson stepping up to the opening while carefully replacing the cards in his pocket.

When the agent looked back up it was with that calmly infuriating smile of his, "Mrs. Potts was looking for you. I am more than willing to offer her my assistance in making sure you get there on time."

Tony didn't like how the man's hand strayed towards his holster as he said this and quickly moved towards the center ring once again. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going." Before he slipped through the doorway he gave Loki one last lingering look over Coulson's shoulder, 'This isn't over, not by a long shot.'

Another stately nod was given, though this one was nearly ruined by the downright sinful smile on the other man's face, and Tony could feel the heated gaze on his back as he walked to the main stage. He reached the designated area just moments before he was due but his mind only left the back room when the spotlight blinded him. Tony was always ready for show time, however, "Let's get another round of applause for our talented duo, Black Widow and Hawkeye!"

The crowd gave another thundering roar of approval as the acrobats packed up the last of their sharp implements in preparation for Loki's arrival in the ring. Clint hammed it up, grabbing Tasha's hand, and pulling her away from the small containers and leading them in a bow towards the main part of the audience. Rolling her eyes fondly, the woman allowed it to happen twice before slipping from his grasp to finish up.

Tony grinned at the delighted crowd, "The _Stark Spectaculaire_ never disappoints!"

Clean up being much easier for this act, the ringmaster launched directly in to his next opener as smoke began to slowly fill the ring and the lights dimmed.

"Our next performer has learned his trade from the most talented mystics across Europe and the Americas and has, in my humble opinion, surpassed them in every way! His feats will delight and astound as he twists reality and even your mind during his magical demonstrations! Without further ado, here is the magnificent magician, Loki!"

Loki seemed to materialize out of the vapors and into the center of the spotlight as Tony stepped to the side with a flourished bow. The performer smiled mysteriously at the gasping crowd and drew their attention to the side with a sweeping gesture, a snap of his fingers lighting the candelabras on the table that had been set up for his act.

Tony kept his bowed position a moment longer as he let the spotlight to slide off of him, both the light and his eyes following the man as he walked away. It didn't occur to him to be grateful that the smoke effectively hid his lecherous grin as he traced the way the long black coat clung to the other man's body, appreciating the view as the confident man did what he did best and (turned him on) started his show with a bang.

It was hard to miss the way those green eyes flicked to him for the barest of moments, smile twitching up a fraction before the bag which was sitting innocently on the table opened and unfolded without even a flick of his finger. Even knowing that no tricks would be revealed in front of an audience, it took Tony considerable effort to tear his attention away from the act and start making his way back to the 'backstage' room.

Instead of trying to relax or find something interesting in there while he waited to announce the next act, the ringmaster simply exited through the back door and out to the areas that the cages were kept in, ready to offer his assistance in bringing over the group of cats Bruce needed for his show.

Agent Coulson, whom he had passed on his way through the room, followed him on his trek towards the massive felines, having learned over the past few nights that this was a common occurrence. That first night was barely saved by Pepper, who had arrived with her calm rational, when the two men had started an increasingly loud argument about where Tony was allowed to go when under FBI protection. This was still _his_ circus, damn it. He was allowed to go where he pleased!

The engineer arrived just in time to watch an extremely familiar feline get released from its cage, a leather collar strapped around its neck that would provide absolutely no trouble to it should the jaguar decide to pounce. The Jag ("Seriously, Tony." Bruce had never sounded so exasperatedly amused in his life, "'The Jag' was the only name it ever had. I'm not so fond of nicknaming things as you are.") showed no interest in doing anything dangerous, however, and Tony thought that was a plus.

Though the agent didn't look bothered in the least, the predator caught the slight shift in his weight and tipped Tony off to the other man's nerves.

"You can stay here if you like," Tony offered, hopeful. "I'm pretty sure that Stane won't try to attack me with these guys wandering about."

Carefully moving so as to not give the jungle cat further ideas, Coulson gave the inventor a polite smile. "I'm afraid I can't accept your offer, Mr. Stark. My orders are quite clear; I am to stay with you."

Tony heaved a sigh at the reminder of Fury's orders. So what if he was a 'high-priority' target, he could protect himself; the crowd, however, was free game. Stane hadn't ever had much care for human life, even trying to convince Howard Stark to go in to the weapons business in the beginning, so he would see nothing wrong with murdering everyone just to get to Tony. Now that he was already a convict, nothing would be off limits in his scramble to finish what he had started.

Subconsciously, Tony reached up and rubbed the gloves' power source through his stage clothes. He didn't have any illusions as to what Stane's ultimate goal was, he'd been pretty clear about it the last time he'd tried to murder the engineer.

Apparently, both he and his father were 'wasting' their inventions on the circus and Stane had promised some important people that he'd deliver those inventions to those who would make better use of them. Tony was sure Stane was trying to keep up his end of the bargain.

No sign of relief was shown, but Tony was positive that the FBI agent was feeling safer as The Jag lost interest in the two of them. Tony could only roll his eyes as he recognized exactly what he was hearing and knew exactly what had pulled the animal's attention away. The thumping and hissing stopped when Dummy finally made his way around the cart and found at least part of the group staring at it as the robot made its entrance. He sunk down on his pistons as if embarrassed at the attention.

It didn't have a chance to be bashful for very long; its jaguar friend proved just how easily it could escape the grip of its handler (Tony wasn't the only one watching the agent for any sudden moves after he tensed at the action. No one needed to get hurt here) and bounded over to where Dummy was standing.

Quick as a flash, The Jag was sitting precariously on top of the mechanical construct's body while one of those six legs carefully moved up to pet the cat above it. The feline gave a content purr.

There was a collective pause from those within viewing distance of this action.

Tony broke the silence, addressing Bruce, "If this isn't proving your hypothesis, what kind of data do you need? Does the cat have to pass a written test as well?"

His fellow scientist simply shook his head in disbelief as he stared at the duo. "Find me a few more subjects who react that well to it and we'll see." Bruce turned to Tony. "We'd have to give them writing courses first and it's easier with a group."

Pepper and Happy shared another one of their 'couples' looks' at the two scientist's comments while Steve carefully stepped forward and picked up the leash once again.

Thankfully, both the jaguar and Dummy looked content with their current positions and continued conversing with their hiss-whistles and growls instead of making any threatening moves. Bruce continued to set up the next cat, a rather large wildcat who had been his first trainee, as Coulson probably fretted internally.

Laughing to himself at the thought of the agent worrying over the health of his idol, Tony stepped up to have a quick chat with his invention.

"Alright, Dummy." Immediately the bot's optics (and quite a few sets of eyes, including The Jag's) were focused on him. "No, I'm not going to order you away. It'll actually be a bit easier on everyone else if you help out. Just don't follow them into the ring for their performance, alright? Other than that, keep with Brucie and you should be good."

Dummy gave a questioning whistle that ended in an angry hiss-clunk.

"What? No, that shouldn't be... well, alright. But _only_ then, okay? You really aren't supposed to be there at any time after what you did before." The copper and steel construct gave a happy whistle that made the short, rhythmic hisses that followed give the impression that it was laughing at the memory.

"Yeah, go ahead. Laugh it up. You didn't have to clean up the mess you left behind, now did you." After giving the robot a pointed look that promised nothing good if it tried to continue this argument, Tony turned to the still outwardly calm agent.

"Looks like they have everything covered here today, let's head back and see if anything is happening back at the big top." Turning to leave, he saw Coulson hesitating, looking first at Cap then to the others. "Well, come on! Disaster isn't going to wait for us." Tony tried to hurry him along, but only a reassuring nod from Pepper got him moving.

The agent accepted Tony's flat look with one of his own, brushing passed the bespectacled man to start leading the way back to the main tent.

Turning, Tony looked at Pepper while gesturing towards the agent, 'how is this behavior okay? Doesn't he know who I am?' Pepper let her head tilt to the side slightly as she read that look loud and clear, returning one of her own complete with a pointing finger, 'He knows who is really in charge here. Now get going.'

"Yes, _dear._" The endearment was supposed to be accusing and admonishing all at once, but only managed petulant. Tony cut his losses, pulled the brim of his top hat down a bit, and went to follow the agent back to the show.

With his other obligations tended to, he could go back to trying to spot when more of those rings were used. He knew that at least _one_ of those rings was used during the act itself and Loki wouldn't be so accommodating as to just show him the others.

He arrived just in time to watch Loki literally step down from his levitation trick, the crowd quiet with awe as they watched him move as if taking an invisible staircase down from about waist height. Loki was careful to do so in a tight circle, walking through the space his feet had just stood so securely on not moments before so as to prove the validity of his magic.

For a moment, Tony wondered if this was pulled off with something similar to his boots, before brushing that off. Loki's steps were too measured, each foot landing solidly as he moved. Hovering and flying was never that precise, that was why he'd had to have the gloves act as stabilizers. Even with weeks or months of practice, there was no way to remain that still when utilizing that particular brand of tech. Maybe it was something to do with the table? Or the boots the other man wore for his act? They didn't look like anything special, but the rings had taught him that not everything is what it seems.

As soon as he was back on solid ground, Loki gave a dashing bow towards the cheering audience and made what could only have been a witty quip judging by the laughter that followed, but Tony was too far away to hear it. Noise trailing off once again, something rose from the table on its own volition. The pungi began to play a haunting song and the magician turned towards it as if surprised by the sound. Tony allowed himself a moment to be impressed by the other man's acting skills.

Seconds later, Tony was joining the audience in a gasp as something peeked out of the collar of Loki's jacket. The magician seemed too preoccupied by trying to figure out why the wind instrument was playing itself to notice but turned when one of the children in the crowd shouted down to him, "Behind you!"

Feeling the movement beneath it, the animal slithered up Loki's opposite shoulder as the performer 'looked' for what might be sneaking up behind him. It was only as he turned back to face the instrument that Loki found himself nose to snout with a medium sized cobra.

The audience held very still as they watched the two stare at one another, the pungi still droning on in the background, and Tony realized just what the other man had been hiding in those baskets. Fear transformed into awe once again as the crowd looked on, entranced by the ease that Loki displayed when reaching up to easily pull the dangerous snake off his back.

Even as he pulled one from the back of his collar another reptilian head poked out from under his green lapels, nudging the gold tie pin at the magician's neck before sliding over the dark leather of his coat. Loki painted a dangerously handsome picture, a deadly snake wrapped around each arm as he held them out in an elegant display. Both of the cobras raised their heads and their hoods as the man lifted his arms, showing the audience that they both had their fangs intact for this presentation.

It was almost time for Tony to start making his way out but he paused for a moment just outside the flap that separated the rings and the back room when Loki started bringing those death dealers back towards his chest.

Another, smaller head had popped out of the man's breast pocket to take a look at the crowd and the magician was trying to lure it out completely. The shockingly green snake was having none of that and slid back inside its warm pocket as the audience chuckled. Instead of trying to fight it, Loki simply gave another sweeping bow to the delighted crowd before letting Tony take the floor as he replaced the two larger snakes in their proper containers and quieted the still playing pungi.

"And that, my friends, is why he is known as the _best_ in the business! How about one more round for our resident snake charmer, Loki!" The spectators gave another roaring round of applause just as Loki finished snapping his performance case shut.

The performer turned and took another moment to bask in the cheers before giving them a final smile and bowed his way off stage, snagging his bag as he left. Loki had almost made it to the edge of the center ring when he paused. Rhodey was usually the one who pulled his table out of the ring, sometimes with Thor's help, but he could hear multiple sets of footsteps moving over the hard packed dirt behind him.

He looked over his shoulder just as Tony was finishing up Dr. Banner's introduction.

A mob of ruffians had started flooding the ring and were heading menacingly towards the ringleader. A couple of gasps came from the audience, but they had no reason to believe that this wasn't part of the show and Tony (currently expounding upon how dangerous the large felines were) didn't think their reaction strange.

It was only once he heard a loud thud and a grunt come from behind him that Tony turned, still talking, "...and their fearsome trainer the incredible Hul-ck!"

Loki was already halfway to Tony when he choked on the end of his sentence, the magician's bag having taken out two of the thugs when he'd thrown it to warn the engineer of the approaching men, but the loud bang that had preceded the man's jerking fall made it obvious what had just happened. Ignoring the shouts of the panicked crowd as they attempted to run from the violent scene, Loki made his way through the men to kneel at Tony's side even as they tried to stop him.

Having already started making his way in for his act, Bruce had a front row seat to both the gun shot and Loki's impressive knife throwing skills. He was also the next primary target once Stane realized that the magician was more worried about Tony's life than the risk to his own and had to stop his own run to the fallen man when the gun was pointed in his direction.

That didn't stop The Jag from sprinting forward through the crowds to ward off any who came close to his second favorite person while they were incapacitated.

Hearing the shot, other members of the troupe came running out from the backstage area to find Bruce held at gunpoint by a smirking Stane who was standing in a now evacuated area of the stands while his jaguar growled menacingly from within a mob of at least thirty large men and Tony laying in the midst of it all, possibly dying.

A standoff ensued as each side waited for the other to make a first move; the thugs waiting for Stane's word and the troupe waiting to see if Tony was still alive.

Tony was barely moving when Loki reached him, his deep red jacket hiding any blood that may or may not be spreading from where the bullet had torn into it, just between his heart and his left shoulder. Carefully looping an arm under the man's back, Loki lifted him up slightly from where he knelt at the man's right and acted as a makeshift shield between the shooter and his victim. Tony's face held a look of tense pain and his breath came in harsh gasps.

Stane laughed at this.

"You said I would never learn, Tony. Told me that my monologue before trying to kill you was my downfall. I took your advice and it turns out, you were right about just one thing." The insane man kept the gun leveled at the masked doctor even as he addressed the inventor laid out on the ground in front of them all.

"Saving the monologue for after the successful shot was _much_ more effective. Though, maybe I should thank Doom for that particular bit of advice as well." And what a speech it was that followed, terribly long and full of self-loving compliments.

None of those in the arena paid any attention to it, though JARVIS was taping the whole thing, those near the door were trying to plan a way to take down all of the remaining men in the ring quickly (as well as the crazy man with the gun) without anyone else getting hurt but still fast enough to rush Tony to some much needed medical assistance.

Loki however was too busy having a silent and mostly hidden conversation with the man practically lying in his lap.

He'd noticed the absence of blood as soon as he'd touched the ringmaster's chest and he spotted the glint of metal half a second later. Something had stopped the bullet just past the thick cloth of the jacket. It took all of Loki's considerable acting skills to keep from relaxing or even smiling in relief as Tony cracked open one of his eyes to look up at the magician. Instead, he brought up his hand to 'press down' on the bullet, careful to keep pressure off what was, in reality, a large bruise.

Tony slowly pulled up his left arm that was hidden from the maniac (who was still raving about his accomplishments), affecting great pain for any watching thugs while showing Loki the glow in his palm that was steadily growing stronger.

Green eyes narrowed before he let out a low hiss of air, grateful that his slouch hid his front pocket from the ruffians who were watching with mild disinterest. An answering hiss was followed by the shy snake from before slowly trailing down Loki's arm.

After another short discussion held through pointed looks, Tony's hand replaced the magician's for a short moment while Loki set the now brown snake down in the appropriate direction. Tony closed his eyes as if starting to slip away when they returned to their previous positions and settled down to wait.

It wasn't long before Stane's speech suddenly cut off with a yelp and some shouted obscenities and everyone took that moment of distraction to put their separate plans in to action.

The former assassins were the first to move, Natasha easily slipping in to the center of the crowded ring and starting to thin the herd from the inside while Clint used some sandbags as a counterweight to reach the platforms they had performed on earlier that night and snagged his bow from its hiding place.

Not too quick on the uptake, the hired hands tried to fight back and aimed for the 'easy' targets who hadn't yet tried to join the fray (wisely keeping away from the growling feline for now).

Shouting but not backing down, Pepper socked the closest one who tried to grab her and was thankful that her husband was there to help her take out the rest of them. Happy had been a boxer before he'd met his employer and married Pepper and that training was once again coming in handy.

Grabbing one of the spare cannon closures that had been lying around just in case that cart had needed fixing again, Steve secured his arm through the inner handles before braining anyone who got close.

Even with chaos going on around him, along _with_ Stane's crazed shooting of the ground trying to kill the snake that had almost bit him (and was still trying), Bruce seemed perfectly at ease. It was only when the men surrounding him started eying his cats and going for weapons that the Hulk finally reacted.

He didn't have to do much; simply releasing the great felines' leashes and giving a threatening growl to the thugs was enough to start his part of the counter attack. The growl, when paired with the demonic green mask he wore for the performances, was enough to make the attackers pause. Their hesitation emboldened the wildcat and tiger who had been sitting sedately next to their owner and the duo started walking threateningly towards those that their usually calm leader had marked as a threat.

Beginning to see that they had signed up for significantly more than they had bargained for, the thugs started backing away slowly. One of the less intelligent men thought it would be better to go for the singular target, instead of taking on two cats at once, and took a swing at the jaguar that was still pacing the space between them and the pair in the center ring.

The Jag howled as the bat grazed his side before jumping to attack the man who had initiated the fight. It didn't have much chance to start mauling the man before another tried to pummel its back, but the hireling was taken down by a green handled dagger.

A loud hissing whistle came from the back room as Dummy came racing out to aid his friend, throwing or trampling the unknown men as he marched through the crowd and joined the attack with the three cats. Soon, the four were taking down thugs left and right, using claws and hooks as well as boiling hot steam and wickedly sharp fangs to tear into their opponents.

The shooting stopped as the screams started and Stane finally realized what was going on, but it was too late for him.

Loki, who had been assisting their allies during the short wait with his personal knives, helped sit Tony upright at that moment, just as the glove finished charging. Tony leveled an angry look at his former mentor over Loki's shoulder even as he wrapped his free arm around the magician's chest to steady himself against the pain in his chest, his heart still giving faint twinges.

Steeling himself, ignoring the slight shift as Loki threw another knife, Tony braced his arm against the other man's shoulder and took careful aim. Obadiah was met with an energy blast to his chest, sending him crashing into the now emptied stands.

Agent Coulson handcuffed the criminal easily, having been making his way towards his target the entire time. "Good to see you again Mr. Stane. I'm sure Colonel Fury will be just as glad to see you return to his care."

Groaning at the pain in his chest just as much as at the thought of having to go back to the FBI's holding cells, Stane then passed out as the concussion took hold. The agent looked back to the arena to watch his hero take out the last man with a swing of his makeshift shield.

As Coulson moved to find Stane's missing gun and the snake which had also mysteriously vanished, Pepper rushed forward to where Tony was sitting on the ground next to the still kneeling Loki. The ringmaster opened the front of his jacket, pushing it open to show where the bullet had hit and dented the multiple layers of metal plating that linked the gloves to their power source. The blue and silver medallion glowed faintly as it started recharging the machinery for regular movement.

A relieved sigh from Pepper brought Tony out of his inspection of the damage.

"Oh, thank God. Tony, don't you ever do something like that again!" She waved over Steve from where he was helping Happy rouse both Thor and Rhodey after their run in with the thug's chloroform drenched rags.

Cap jogged over to where they were, jumping over the fallen thugs, giving a wide berth to where Bruce was getting his still growling cats under control with a little help from Dummy and The Jag and dodging around Natasha as she checked to make sure all the threats were neutralized.

"You grab his feet, Steve. Loki, if you would be so kind as to carry his shoulders as the two of you get him back to his room? That would be perfect, thanks."

Her instructions were met with vehement protests from the man himself. "Uh, uh. No way! I can make it there on my own, there's no reason I have to be carried out. I'm not disabled. Here, just help me up." He waved one of his hands at Cap, who levered his boss on to his feet. He heaved himself up and seemed to be well in control.

Giving a quick grin that hid his own surprise that he could stand on his own, Tony offered a hand down to Loki who accepted the offer easily. The magician's grip suddenly shifted as the engineer swayed dangerously to one side, but the engineer simply turned in his grip to interrupt the woman before she could start again. "See, I can make it there. No need to carry me like an invalid!"

Pepper wasn't going to back down, so Tony compromised to get what he had wanted the whole time. "I'll just be stealing Loki here while they clean up the mess in here and you go clean up this media mess outside, alright?"

A look of dismayed realization flitted across the redhead's face before she gave him a chastising frown. "But, Tony, your heart. What if something has happened to the pa-"

"It's fine," Tony responded with a wince, not wanting to get into that just now. Loki shifted his grip on the other man, wondering what they were talking about, before the organizer's expression softened.

"Okay, fine. Get out of here. But," she looked to Loki with a stern look on her face, "straight to bed; don't let him convince you to stop by the lab to make some adjustments or something equally frivolous."

Loki tightened his grip ever so slightly to stop Tony's protests about needing to go to the lab to get the gloves taken off now that they had that dent and started guiding the engineer around the fallen men that lay around the ring towards the back door. "Of course, Madam Potts."

Hearing the voices of the crowd that was still milling on the other side of the tent, Loki kept them to the shadows as he navigated the two of them through the night and back to Tony's personal cart.

"I really do need to stop by the lab, this thing won't come off without some tools." Tony muttered under his breath to the man currently keeping him vertical. "And maybe a nice steak. Yeah, steak sounds good right now. Think we can stop by the food cart as well?"

Giving a fond roll of his eyes, Loki shook his head and continued leading them directly to the engineer's sleeping quarters. Tony kept talking, having noticed how the magician's green eyes kept flicking down to his armor, shoulders tensing for a moment before Loki seemed to focus on Tony's words and relax once more. He wasn't sure what had spooked the man so much, but he was more than willing to babble his way back to the caravan if it would help Loki in any way.

Arriving at the wagon (they might be in New York, but no expense was spared when creating this room so Tony's cart was better than any five star hotel in the city) Loki dropped him down on to his bed before giving Tony an expectant look. The engineer took a hint and shut up for a moment.

"I will go fetch what we need from the other cart. You will be staying here." Loki then hooked up a familiar device to the wall. "JARVIS, I expect that you will be able to keep him here?"

"Of course, Mister Liesmith." Tony was too busy inspecting his wrists to see Loki slip out the door.

"That light fingered bastard," he muttered humorously, slightly awed at the other man's skill. Both of his cufflinks were missing from his jacket and for the life of him, Tony couldn't figure out when the theft had occurred. He huffed out a soft snort before setting to work on first the clasps on his shoulders to free his cape and then the many buttons that kept his jacket together. He was just moving to try and shrug out of the waistcoat when the door opened to allow Loki back in to the cart.

Seeing that the seated man was struggling to remove the outerwear due to his slightly immobilized arm, Loki set down the items he had retrieved on the dresser nearby and walked over to assist Tony. The injured man held back a wince _almost_ successfully as the magician pulled his arm out of the sleeve and tossed both it and the cape into the chair next to the bed. Picking the metal tools back up off the wooden surface, Loki walked back over and knelt on the floor beside Tony's bed.

"JARVIS was kind enough to tell me which tools you may need. Where would you like me to start?"

Tony looked up at the other man, debating whether or not to argue with him about who would be taking the invention apart (Tony never let anyone mess with his inventions, not when they were this dangerous, not after Stane) before he relaxed a bit and gestured to the power source.

"Here. Everything is connected here. The back is just tied together with some leather straps for now until I remake the chest plate." Nodding silently, Loki set to work, but Tony got the feeling that the other was preoccupied with something. He was willing to let it go, thinking that it wasn't any of his business, until he saw that the magician's hands were shaking ever so slightly as he went to undo the next bolt. Concerned, Tony caught the trembling hand in his uninjured one. "What's wrong?"

It seemed that Loki was unaware that he had even been shaking until it had been stopped. Blinking, Loki looked taken aback for a moment.

Tony watched as the magician looked like he was debating over whether or not to talk about what had bothered him during their walk over but, it didn't take long before he to come to a decision. Shaking his head slightly after glancing down at the dent in Tony's armor, Loki pulled on a brittle smile.

"Nothing. You should not worry so." But the words fell a bit flat and the smile was not as bright as it could have been; Tony wasn't convinced. He moved his free hand to the other man's face, fingers moving up the strong jawline before his thumb brushed the corner of Loki's lips. Brown eyes searched the aristocratic face as the smile dropped off.

"You don't have to keep it all bottled up, Sunshine. You could just tell me."

A look of fascinated longing made its way across Loki's face, followed swiftly by confusion (though he completely missed the pet name). "Why?"

"Why not? I've got two working ears and I've been known to keep quiet while others are talking. At least _most_ of the time," Tony allowed.

As if realizing what his question had sounded like, Loki shook his head slightly, looking away to collect himself. Tony let him, silently wishing that his gloves were already off so that he could touch Loki properly.

After a tense moment of silence, Loki finally asked a question that had probably been plaguing the European for months only to be exacerbated by the recent situation.

"Why do you continue to have such faith in me, such trust? When so many have betrayed you before and others do not receive the same, why trust me?" The magician looked almost pained to be asking the question, as if worried that the inquiry would make Tony realize his mistake.

Blinking, Tony let his hand drop to the other man's shoulder to give it a slight shake to get Loki to look back up. Now staring the kneeling man in the eye, the engineer repeated his earlier question.

"Why not? You've given me no reason to be mistrustful. In fact, if you look just at tonight, you've given me a whole lot of reasons to trust you more." Tony wasn't sure where Loki's train of thought had come from, but there wasn't any reason he should lie to the clearly distressed man.

Looking back down, Loki pulled his hand free from the other man's and went back to work on the chest piece, but didn't shake the hand off of his shoulder. Deciding to simply leave his hand where it was, Tony settled down to admire the wonderful view. While his eyes enjoyed the scenery, Tony's mind worked on why Loki would be so conflicted. There were obviously some major trust issues, but why would the magician feel like he _shouldn't_ be trusted?

Tony could only imagine that it had something to do with why the talented man had left Europe in the first place; the look he was wearing now was far too similar to the one he'd sported after his last letter from home to not be connected. He guessed at what it was with all those extreme rumors floating about and he didn't put any faith in rumor. Either way, his mind was grateful to have something other than Stane to think about after the stressful night they'd had.

Soon enough, Loki was setting the tools and the freed screws back on the dresser. He came back to find Tony struggling to undo the leather ties with one hand, only succeeding in almost pulling a muscle in the process.

"Hold still," Loki murmured, pushing the arm back down to the engineer's side as he placed one knee along the outside of Tony's thigh and leaned around to reach the knotted strips. Tony's arm came up automatically to wrap around his waist and steady him.

Safely out of view, Loki spoke as he fought with the ties, "No one ever trusted me before, even before the rumors you can hear now were started." He felt the metal encased fingers curl slightly on his hip at the revelation, but he kept his eyes on his work.

"I have always known I was adopted. Most likely born to one of the gypsy caravans, I was found on the doorstep of one of my father's theaters the winter after Thor's birth. Unfortunately, most of those I grew up with knew the truth as well."

The first knot started to come undone while Loki granted Tony a moment to process that information. He hummed slightly as he felt the engineer's chest expand, intent on preventing any interruptions to the explanation. Placing the leather on the bed next to them, he continued, "The gypsy stigma is not as prevalent here as it still is in Europe, but those who are associated with them are thought to be murderers and thieves, even devil worshipers."

Tony was glad that Loki allowed himself to be tugged a little closer, the kneeling man's other leg slipping between his knees to keep properly balanced, and Tony could only hope that the magician would feel a little braver when he gently rested his head against Loki's chest in a comforting gesture. The engineer could hear the pain lacing that velvety voice and had to force himself to stay silent and let the magician say his piece. Loki, for his part, simply adjusted his arms around Tony's head and kept working on the knots.

"My mother and brother never cared, they would argue with any who would listen about my apparent virtues, how I was nothing like the tales said gypsies should be. My father was diplomatic as ever, never refuting the lies where I could hear, but he never threw me out." Another tie came undone with only one remaining; it joined the first beside them.

"I was never a shining example either, as I have always held a fondness for tricks and mischief even in my youth. The real trouble came when I began learning magic. Many were quick to believe that I was so talented because of my unknown heritage."

Loki frowned down at the distinctly difficult knot. "It certainly helped me when asking to learn some tricks from those who traveled through the town, but usually nothing further than that. I strove to learn more from any who would teach me that passed through the theater, but received nothing except ridicule from my peers. Especially from those that I had grown up calling friends."

He sneered down at the leather that had become tangled sometime during the night, though Tony wasn't entirely sure if his annoyance was due entirely to the befouled strap or the far more demoralizing memories of said childhood friends.

Loki seemed to drag his mind back to the present as he resorted to a different tactic, shifting the knot until it rested next to one of the metal plates and started using the plate to cut the leather.

Tony was just thankful for Loki's continued closeness because that was the only thing keeping him just distracted enough to stay seated instead of pacing furiously or even from simply interrupting. Tony had more than one idea in mind for if he ever met those fair weather 'friends'.

"Then the accident happened. Some fire breathers had visited our theater the night before and showed me a few of their techniques. I," Loki paused, lifting his hand slightly in an aborted move to touch his mouth before setting back to the task at hand. He seemed lost in the memories and only the press of Tony's fingers tracing patterns on his back had the magician speaking again. "I chose the wrong place to practice such a dangerous talent.

"The empty lot I visited the next night was located next to my father's rival, Laufey Jotun's biggest theater. I thought I was far enough away and had taken all of the appropriate precautions but by the time I found out what I had done, it was too late. I burned the theater to the ground."

The cord snapped under Loki's tense fingers, but he didn't move to take it out yet. "Looking back, I wonder if I had wanted it to happen, subconsciously picking the building that would do the most damage."

Tony listened as the story vibrated through the other man's chest, his gloved fingers still writing idle equations (none of them really leading towards anything specific, taking variables from the air) while his eyes narrowed at the hollow tone. It was clear that Loki blamed himself for everything that happened that night, but what exactly happened and, more importantly, how much of it actually was he actually at fault for? He lifted his head slightly to try and get the other to continue.

Taking the hint, Loki explained, "I had not actively participated in any fire breathing while the troupe was visiting, but they had allowed me to move their materials and watch their practice. I had never failed to learn anything I set my mind to and arrogantly believed that I could teach myself their art." He gave a rueful snort at the memory. "Appropriating one of their bottles of fuel during their stay was child's play, but my first attempt was an unmitigated disaster."

Licking his lips at the memory, Loki began toying with the small hairs at the nape of the inventor's neck. Tony was more than willing to offer himself as a distraction and tilted his head forward, arching into the light touch. Loki's mouth twitched into a quick smile at this and he continued (touching) the retelling of that terrible night.

"I abandoned my pursuits immediately to seek medical assistance for the burns. But, in my haste, I must have missed some of the embers I had created." Sitting still as he could, Tony gave a quiet sigh of relief as the small tremble in Loki's fingers slowly vanished after the other took a few calming breaths.

"The entire debacle was ruled a freak accident, the fire marshal blaming it on a campfire that some children and their parents had used the afternoon before, but Laufey insisted it was me." Loki finally pulled the broken strand of leather from the metal.

"I know I was unseen that night, but I was chosen as the scapegoat again simply because I was the gypsy son of his rival. The fact that I had always exposed him for the liar and cheat he was probably also played a factor. He had blamed many of his trials and failures on me prior to the incident as well."

Tony gave a vicious grin at that, because there was no way Loki would go down without a fight.

His darkly humorous thoughts calmed as the magician continued once more, "But I could not let my mother and father bear the weight of my sins. I left within the month, waiting just long enough for my self-imposed exile to not be linked to the property damage I had caused before leaving across the Atlantic. You found me here shortly after." Loki trailed off as he set the strap down with the others.

Tony felt the action and immediately leaned away, ignoring the pain of his bruised chest as he ripped the long gloves away from his body. His dress shirt might have torn in a few places where the metal caught but Tony couldn't care less. Throwing the gloves into some corner of his room where they would be found later, he reached out and pulled the retreating man back into his arms. Surprised that Tony wasn't asking him to leave, Loki virtually fell back into his lap.

Unfazed by the fact that Loki was now straddling his lap (but relishing it at the same time), Tony removed his spectacles so that he could look directly at the other man's eyes.

"That wasn't your fault." Loki opened his mouth to protest, unwilling to accept it after being told and telling himself differently for so long, only to have Tony speak first. "No, it was not your fault. Just like Steve getting bucked off that horse wasn't his fault. Accidents are called accidents for a _reason._"

Loki frowned and started to protest, "Anthony-!"

He had never had as much need for self-restraint as he did right now, finally hearing his name in that accent. 'He needs to know this, you can kiss him senseless later,' Tony promised himself. "Sunshine, how do you know it _wasn't_ the kid's campfire? Or someone who was there later than yourself? Or even that Laughy guy just trying to get you in trouble? You didn't exactly stick around to watch the fire start."

The magician looked torn between wanting to believe that the possibility of his innocence might exist and the 'knowledge' of his guilt.

"You said it yourself that he would blame you for things like this all the time, things that you hadn't done. So what if there is a small chance that you might have accidentally caused this one? You are the only one who can say whether this particular accusation affects you. If everyone else thinks otherwise, that's their fault, not yours."

Examining the other man for any falsehoods, it seemed that Loki was finally starting to let himself believe what the ringleader was trying to tell him. That perhaps it _was_ just an accident and maybe he would be more than welcome if he decided to return home.

Tony waited patiently for some sort of reply as Loki examined his face closely as if looking for any falsehoods before seemingly finding what he needed and nodding slowly. The ringleader blinked as the other leaned forward slightly to press their foreheads together and closed his eyes for a long moment. Understanding that paradigm shifts sometimes took time, Tony simply took the time to appreciate the magician's nearness.

Opening his eyes, Loki offered Tony a small smile. "Thank you."

Tony quirked a smile back at him, "Well, that was easier than expected."

A huff of laughter preceded the reply, "My mother insisted much the same as you did, but she will always tell me what I _want_ to hear, not what is actually true."

Tony started to make a face at being likened to the other man's mother of all things before something occurred to him and he grinned instead. "Looks like I'm not the only trusting one here." He found himself absurdly happy at this new found insight.

Chuckling, Loki ran his hands up the front of the other man's white dress shirt, where one started fiddling with the buttons and the other continued until it slid over the engineer's shoulder. "Of course. Did you believe that I let just anyone get this close?"

Tony shivered as the words were practically whispered into his ear and gave a short gasp when Loki took the chance to nip at his earlobe before pulling back so that the inventor could see his mischievous smile.

"I should hope not," came the half growled, half groaned response. Laying back on the large bed, Tony pulled the magician down on top of him and got to work undoing the belt that held his jacket closed. After successfully opening the coat, Tony made to push it off of the lean man before pausing suspiciously. Loki raised a curious eyebrow even as his hands continued to roam the other man's body. "You don't happen to have any more snakes in this coat, do you?"

Loki laughed and removed the black leather jacket himself. "Nothing that would _harm_ you, _Monsieur._"

Another soft growl came from the man beneath him as the engineer's hands ran up Loki's legs and pulled him down as they reached his back. "You said my name before and now we're back to titles? Call me Tony, Sunshine!"

He received a dark chuckle. "I see no need to reward you for giving me that ridiculous nickname."

Tony pouted. "What? I think it suits you."

Loki simply rolled his eyes at this response before leaning down for a kiss. It wasn't exactly what Tony wanted, but he could easily work with this. Arching up towards the magician, Tony's hands got to work on the other man's tie with the buttons on the shirt following shortly after. Loki's tongue easily found its way into the ringmaster's mouth and went about exploring everything again. He smiled into the kiss, enjoying both the groans and other physical responses this generated.

Once all of the buttons were undone, the callused hands pulled on the bottom of the black shirt, tugging it out from where it had been tucked in to those tight leather pants.

Moments later both men were divested of their shirts and Loki gave a pleasured moan of his own as one of Tony's talented hands started testing if all of those previously mapped spots made the same sounds without the barrier of clothing. So far the results were louder, but much the same. Tony was beyond pleased with that.

It seemed that Loki was unwilling to be the only one making noises, however, and Tony was dragged up for a punishing kiss even as blunted nails ran down the inventor's back. He could feel the other smirking at the heady moan the actions pulled from him.

Not about to lose his upper-hand, Tony grabbed the magician and expertly flipped them, angling their bodies so that Loki's head hit the pillow at the head of the bed directly. The elegant man just laughed a little breathlessly as Tony started trying to remove both Loki's boots as well as his own.

"So eager tonight, _Monsieur_ Stark?" Loki trailed his fingertips teasingly across the other man's bare chest as Tony worked on the rest of their clothes, his muscles jumping involuntarily at the touch.

Throwing away the last shoe, Tony leaned down and braced himself just above the other man. "My name is Tony. I've heard you use it before, I know you can. Say it for me, Sunshine." The order was only semi-serious, with a bit of playful thrown on top, but the challenge lay hidden just beneath.

Who would hold out in their little game the longest? The magician raised an elegant brow before leaning up and stealing a long kiss from the accommodating man above him, dexterous fingers winding through the brunet's hair before he pulled back. Tilting his head a bit, Loki licked his lips coyly and took the bait. "Oh, I think I am going to want you to _make_ me."

Loki was never one to back down from a challenge.

'Good,' Tony thought as he gave a rakish grin.

Neither was he.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :) Please let me know what you thought of my first foray into writing in over three years. I hope I didn't mangle anything too badly.

I do have a sequel nearly finished, if any of you were interested, so hopefully that will be coming up shortly.

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited! You are all amazingly awesome people!


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